Heaven's Light
by DarkWolf88
Summary: Hilary was never the one to beyblade, but when she does, a dangerous enemy sees her hidden talents, and kidnaps her. She soon realizes that she is a captive deep within Balkov Abbey, a place with no mercy. But within the shadows, she finds hope in a blue
1. The Beginning of the End

Summary - Hilary was never the one to beyblade, but when she does, a dangerous enemy sees her hidden talents, and kidnaps her. She soon realizes that she is a captive deep within Balkov Abbey, a place with no mercy. But within the shadows, she finds hope in a blue haired boy. Will he help her escape? 

Alright peeps....this is yet another story...by me.....so run for cover!  
Well anyway...this is something I wrote during school...hopefully it will come out the way I think it will...

Big thanks to PhoenixRoar for helping me with the title! (really just coming up with it) lol. But yeah...thanks again Phoenix-chan!!!

Well...here's the story....enjoy if you can!

----------

Chapter 1 - The Beginning of the End

Hilary Tatibana stepped out of her warm house in a new pair of black boots, jeans, and a fuzzy purple sweater and into the fresh winter air.

It had snowed slightly the previous night, and now cold white fluff lined all the plants and walkways.

The brunette smiled and breathed deeply. This was going to be a good Saturday, she could just feel it!

Remembering her promise to her friend Tyson, she began walking down the street toward a large dojo, the snow beneath her feet crunching loudly.

After a few minutes, she came to the entrance, only to be greeted by a small brown haired boy.

"Good morning Hilary!" He exclaimed, smiling as the girl approached.

"Morning Chief! Is Tyson up yet?"

"He said he's been up all morning, but I seriously doubt that...I've been waiting almost an hour!"

Hilary sighed. "Typical Tyson..."

Finally, the navy-haired teen burst out of the dojo.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late! Let's go!" He yelled, running past the two brunettes and down the sidewalk.

"Tyson get back here! You haven't finished your chores yet dude!" An elderly voice exclaimed.

Suddenly, an old man appeared in the doorway, a bamboo sword in hand.....the one and only Grandpa Granger.

Kenny and Hilary gasped, pivoting on their heels and running after Tyson.

---

"Few! That was a close one!" Tyson sighed, patting his chest as he tried to regain his normal breathing rate.

"One day Tyson, he's going to catch you....and I don't want to be around when he does!" Hilary said, closing her ruby eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah..." Kenny added nervously, images running through his mind about what would happen.

"So Hilary! Are you going to blade today?" Tyson asked, changing the subject.

"How many times do I have to say this?! I...DON'T...BEYBLADE!" She hollered.

Tyson had been badgering the brunette about that game all week! Hilary was just about to explode!

"Oh come on! Just on time! You might like it!" Tyson whined as the group came to the entrance of the BBA Training Center.

"Tyson..." She growled, clenching her hands into fists.

"Please?! Pretty please with a cherry on top?!"

"Um...Tyson?" Kenny started, seeing a glowing aura of anger around Hilary.

"You might catch the attention of that guy you like so much....what was his name again?"

Hilary gasped, her cheeks growing a red tint to them. "How did you.....FINE!" She grabbed a beyblade out of Kenny's hand and stormed up the steps into the gym, Tyson bounding in excitement behind her.

---

"Alright! I'll try and go easy on you..." Tyson smirked, readying his new beyblade and launcher.

"I don't care Tyson...this is pointless and stupid. Let's just get this over with..." Hilary sighed. She couldn't believe she was doing this.

"3....2....1....Let it rip!"

The two blade launched off into the dish.

Tyson immediately began his onslaught, sending Hilary up the wall of the dish.

"Man! You suck Hil!" Tyson snickered.

Hilary growled. Tyson was really pissing her off today.

Suddenly, Hilary's blade picked up speed and returned blow for blow.

This maneuver caught the navy-haired teen off guard.

"Wha?!"

"Tyson watch out!" Kenny hollered, but it was too late.

Hilary's blade sent Tyson's out of the dish and onto the floor near Kenny's feet.

Both the competitors were surprised at the battle's outcome.

Hilary had beaten Tyson!

"You got to be kidding me"

---

"Sir?" A man cloaked in shadow asked.

"Go and proceed with the operation." Another man replied, his voice dark and malicious.

"Who are the victims my lord?"

"See that girl?"

"The one that just defeated out true target?"

"Take her instead of the boy."

"But sir! We were ordered by Master Vol...."

"Granger was defeated! We were ordered to take the strongest from the BBA, and it seems that is no longer him!"

"....yes sir..." The man bowed his head, and rushed off.

---

"You cheated! There's no way I could be beaten by you!" Tyson whined, picking up his beyblade from the floor.

"Quit being a sore loser Tyson!" Hilary yelled, her hands on her hips. "You're the one that wanted to battle me so badly!"

"She has you there Tyson..." Kenny pointed out.

Suddenly, all the lights went out, and some of the kids began to panic.

"What the..."

A dark outline appeared at the main doorway, holding an object that looked conspicuously like a gun.

The different bladers backed away from their battles, rushing toward the back doors, but were cut off by strong men in long dark trench coats.

The figure at the entrance aimed his weapon and fired, causing screams of terror to ring out.

Instead of any bullets, the trainees watched in confusion as a small can like object bounced along the hard floor.

"Is this some kind of joke?!" Someone demanded.

"Oh this is no joke...this is the beginning of the end!"

With the intruder's words, the can exploded wit a murky cloud of smoke.

The BBA trainees began coughing fiercely as their oxygen supply decreased.

One by one, the bladers fell to the floor in a deep sleep.

The man at the main door motioned to his accomplices to carry out the task at hand, removing the strongest potential beybladers from their enemy....the BBA.

The man moved out of the shadows and into a small flood of light coming from an overhead window, revealing dark purple hair and black goggles over his eyes.

He walked straight over to Tyson, Hilary, and Kenny, all of them sound asleep from the effects of the gas.

With a smirk, he bent down and scooped Hilary up in her arms.

"I never thought that such a girl could have so much potential...."

He nodded his head to one of his accomplices, who had already gathered two boys under each of his arms.

"We are done here. Let's leave before anything is suspected."

With that, the intruders walked out the back of the training area and headed toward a black van, parked in a tight alley way.

Tossing the children inside, the men climbed in their seats and took off, leaving no trails behind.

----------------

Please review and tell me if I should continue!!!


	2. The True Colors of Balkov Abbey

Hey everybody!

Holy crap! 12 reviews already!

I didn't think this stupid thing would get that many readers...oh well

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

As I was reading the reviews, it hit me that I didn't explain alot of things in the first chapter....I really meant to, but it totally slipped my mind!

Well, first of all, this story takes place **_BEFORE_** Beyblade season 1. So this means that Tyson **_DOES NOT_** have Dragoon, Kai _**IS NOT**_ the leader of the Blade Sharks, and hasn't met Tyson or Kenny...he hasn't even been to Japan yet! Rei and Max probably won't even appear in this story... So yeah...it's _**WAY**_ before the series even starts!

As for the pairings, this _**WILL**_ be a Kai/Hilary if you couldn't tell from my past actions...hehe. If this pisses any of you off...deal with it.

I know there are many who don't like this pairing...and I respect that, because I didn't like it at first either.

So I have stated my position...and if you don't like it, you can either read and shrug it off, or click the little X button at the top of the screen.

lol

Sorry if that confused anyone...I really meant to say all that last chapter!

Special Thanks to:  
_**Droopy1389 -**_ yes...I do hehe. Plus I just really suck at thinking up out of the ordinary stuff... ::shrugs:  
**_PhoenixRoar -_** wow! You were the first reviewer! I'm happy! Curse the domos! lol  
_**Moon Comix -**_ Is having another story a good thing??? heh

Well then...enough of my blabbering.  
On with the story!

Enjoy if you can!  
-------------  
_**Chapter 2 -** The True Colors of Balkov Abbey_

The loud sound of old rusted metal contacting with another hard surface rang vibrantly throughout the cold prison.

A pair of ruby eyes, shimmering with fright, opened with a flutter.

"Huh?" A soft voice began. "Where....what's going on?"

The young brown haired girl blinked in the dim lighting of her new surroundings, trying to knock herself out of her disorientation.

She suddenly realized that she was trapped in a cold jail cell of some sort. The walls were a dreary grey stone, and were covered with gashes and red stains that resembled human blood.

A set of shackles hung from one end, and Hilary was glad to know she wasn't in them.

"Where the heck am I? Tyson? Kenny?!" She wondered out loud, beginning to panic slightly.

She gasped, remembering the event at the BBA Center.

"I've been kidnapped!"

Suddenly, the same sound that had awakened her echoed from somewhere close by, startling her.

"No! Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It won't happen again I swear! PLEASE SPARE ME!!!!!" A young boy cried.

Hilary watched as a man with thick body armor and a pistol at his waist emerged from the cell next to her, dragging a shocked boy behind him.

The brunette watched in horror as the screaming youth cried and pleaded in what sounded to be Russian.

He looked over to her through the iron bars with watery, bloodshot eyes.

Hilary hid her face with her legs and covered her head with her arms, trying to block the horrid screaming of the abbey's newest victim.

The racket eventually ceased as the guard forced his prisoner through a lead door and down another dark hallway.

With a sniff, Hilary let her arms fall to her legs, holding them closer to her chilled body.

"Heh....welcome to Balkov Abbey!" Another guard snickered as he passed, a sickening grin upon his face.

Hilary gasped again. She had heard of this wretched place, and no one came out of it the same, if at all.

She felt herself start to cry, and tried to fight it. "What's going to happen to me......?"

Hilary had been glancing at her watch every so often, trying to keep track of the time.

She figured she had been in her cell for about an hour, and she still had no idea what she was doing there.

A guard came by, his eyes hidden by a thick hat upon his head and suddenly opened the iron gate that served as a cell door.

"On your feet!" He bellowed, yanking her up by her arm.

She grimaced in pain as the crass man pushed her out into the hallway.

Hilary noticed that she wasn't the only prisoner being escorted away.

Two other boys, which she hadn't even noticed were in the dungeon along with her, were led down the hall before her.

She remembered seeing the two at the BBA Training Center when she walked in that morning!

"What's happening?" She dared to ask.

"Lord Balkov is punishing an enemy of BioVolt. He shall be an example to all!"

Hilary's brow furrowed slightly.

"What is this place? Some kind of cult?!" She thought silently.

Suddenly, she gasped, remembering the boy that had been taken away. Was he the enemy?!

---

After what seemed like forever, walking in the dark, twisting tunnels within the abbey, the prisoners came to a large set of wooden doors, ornately carved with various designs and creatures.

The doors were pushed open, and the guards prodded the three children into a large room.

It reminded Hilary of a ball room in a grand palace, only this one had walls of hard, grey stone, similar to her cell.

The floor matched the walls, and large pothole-like craters had been carved into the ground in various locations around the room.

"Beyblade dishes?!" Hilary gasped. She came to the conclusion that this huge room was also a training facility. "The Russian's must be even more obsessed with that dumb game than Tyson and Kenny!

The room was packed full with rows of boys, all ranging from around five years of age to their teens.

Hilary glanced around somewhat nervously, realizing that she was the only girl.

As her eyes traveled further toward the front of the facility, a short row of five teenaged boys stood at attention. They appeared to be the oldest among the trainees, and apparently held a high rank among them.  
Throughout the room, no one moved an inch, or uttered the slightest whisper.

Hilary was beginning to freak out slightly at the ceremonious gathering. She didn't know what to expect of it.

Suddenly, the silence was broken with a loud sobbing and whimper.

The young boy Hilary had seen earlier in the dungeon was dragged out before the crowd.

He had finally given up his futile struggle, and allowed his body to be dragged over like a rag doll to a tall wooden beam, directly in front of the five older teens.

The brunette noticed that one of the teens with light blue and navy hair shifted slightly in discomfort as he saw the boy's arms being held above him and chained to the post.

The red head standing next to him glanced over at his friend slightly, sensing his hidden emotion.

Suddenly, another set of doors opened behind the post, and a tall man stepped out.

He wore a dark suit-like outfit with a forest green trench coat over his broad shoulders. He had a purple head of hair, thinning slightly along his forehead, and wore a frightening pair of red lensed goggles over his eyes.

He walked over to the wooden beam and ascended up two steps onto a platform to stand in front of the congregation.

"My young warriors! Today, Mikail here was caught in the forest, escaping his destiny to become great!" The man started, extending his arms out on each side of his body.

The crowd began muttering to themselves. Hilary noticed that some of the boys had frightened looks plastered on their faces.

"...and you all know what happens to those who try to run!"

With that, the man turned around and picked up a long leather whip, curling it tight into his hand.

Hilary gasped, her eyes wide as saucers. He was going to beat that boy, and everyone had to watch!

"Let this be a reminder to all of you!"

The man raised his arm, and brought the whip down forcefully upon the young boy's back, earning a horrid scream of pain.

Hilary immediately shut her eyes and covered her ears. The rumors of Balkov Abbey were true! She never believed such an evil place really existed.

"You have betrayed BioVolt! Therefore you are an enemy!"

The boy didn't hear the man's words, and the sting of the whip was causing his vision to darken.

The beating continued unmercifully for a few minutes, before a blue beyblade shot out with a loud swoosh and connected with the chains above the boy's head, shattering them on impact.

The congregation gasped as the exhausted and injured boy fell limply from the post into the red headed boy's arms, who was waiting patiently at the bottom of the stage.

Hilary watched as the blue beyblade returned to its owner's hand.

The man growled at the culprit, his lips curling up in a snarl.

The blue haired teen lowered his arm and returned his beyblade to his pocket.

"Explain yourself Hiwatari!" He yelled, gasps and murmurs running throughout the crowd at the mention of that name.

"You've made your point Boris...." The teen replied simply, opening his crimson eyes in a fiery glare.

With a final growl, Boris flicked his wrist at the five teens.

A boy with lilac hair turned to help the red head carry the unconscious boy out of the grand room.

The remaining three followed, with the one called Hiwatari lagging behind slightly.

The various trainees exchanged worried glances at the Russian Champions as the passed, whispering among themselves of the unusual action that had just taken place.

Hilary stared at Hiwatari as he passed her and exited the room quietly.

The purple haired Russian paced for a few minutes before turning to face the crowd once again.

"You are all dismissed! Back to your training!" His angry voice echoed.

With that, the guards grabbed hold of their prisoners and ushered them out before the rest of the trainees crowded the narrow halls.

---

"Let that be a lesson to you! Try to escape, and face death!" The guard spat, throwing Hilary back into her frigid cell.

The brunette crawled into a corner and pulled her scrapped knees up to her chest.

"Why was I brought to this horrid place! I don't even beyblade...or whatever those stupid things are called..." She muttered to herself, hiding her face with her knees. "What do they want with me....."

She heard footsteps echo past her cell door.

She looked up quickly to see if it was something she should fear, but only saw the last few inches of a white scarf flutter past after its owner.

With a sigh, she hid her face back behind her legs as she felt a rush of tears threaten to fall from her ruby eyes.

Hilary shivered, her limbs beginning to feel like they had frozen in place.

"You shouldn't cry in a place like this. It makes you look weak...and they prey on the weak." A deep voice suddenly appeared.

Hilary jumped, pressing her back closer to the stone wall.

She looked out behind the bars to see a teenaged boy, a year or so older than herself, with two-toned blue hair and crimson eyes.

He wore a tight black tanktop that covered his well toned chest, and showed off his muscular arms. A pair of baggy jeans, somewhat dirty, hung from his narrow hips and were held up by a thick belt.

Around his neck was a long white scarf, trailing down to his ankles.

He wore red guards on his forearms with silver spikes that reached up past his elbows. Four cobalt tattoos had been etched on his face, and made him look incredibly harsh, even more so than his eyes alone!

Hilary stared at this stranger. He was the same one who had helped that boy, but she couldn't help but still be somewhat intimidated by his appearance.

She gulped loudly, not sure if she should be frightened by him, or relieved. After all, he did save that boy's life.

"Wha...what do you want?" She managed to ask.

The boy bent down on his knees and slid a thick square of material through the bars, letting it fall on the dirty floor.

"A blizzard in coming...and you're already freezing." His words were thick with a Russian accent, but were still understandable. "I've been ordered to keep you alive...and you won't survive the night like you are now."

Hilary glanced down at the object now in her cell. It was a large blanket, and looked incredibly warm.

Slowly, she stood up and walked over to the bars to retrieve the blanket.

Her ruby eyes traveled up and met with the fiery crimson orbs of the Russian.

"Th...thank you."

Without a word, the boy turned and began to walk away.

"Hey...wait!" Hilary called.

He stopped and looked back over his shoulder.

"Your name...what's your name?" She cursed her horrible memory, knowing she had heard his name a few times at that ceremony ordeal.

The teen returned his gaze to the door in front of him, as if pondering whether to answer or not.

"Kai....it's...Kai Hiwatari."

With that, he opened the door and disappeared into the next hallway, leaving Hilary alone in the shadows of the abbey.

--------------------

Okay....maybe that was a little too long...

oh well...

I know many of you are wondering why Hilary is in the abbey in the first place...well that will be revealed soon!

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!**


	3. The Motive Of It All

Hey again!

Wow! Thanks for all the great reviews!  
Thanks sooo much!!!

Sorry for the wait. I finally got my hands on a Nintendo DS and haven't stopped playing it since! So today, I decided it was about time to turn on my computer and start writing...

And once again...I forgot to mention something in the last chapter....

Kai is suppost to be VERY out of character in this story...he'll gradually get more into character though later on.  
Some other characters might be OOC as well...just to warn you.

Umm...I think that's everything that needs to be explained....if something else comes up...I'll mention it.... lol

Anyway...here's the next chapter.  
It's not as long....and it sucks (just like everything else I do) but oh well.

Enjoy if you can!

---------------------------

**Chapter 3 - The Motive Of It All**

"Augh..." All of Kai's breath left his lungs for a short moment as his back contacted against the hard stone wall behind him.

"You think you have the right to interfere?!" Boris's voice came, his hand holding Kai to the wall and tightening against his throat.

"How many times do I have to tell all of you this?!" Boris dropped Kai and backhanded him, sending him over to the other side of the room.

The red headed teen bent down and helped his friend sit up.

"You all supported his actions...didn't you!?" Boris glared at the five teens.

Everyone refused to look at the man, and instead hung their heads toward the floor.

"Tala!" The older Russian bellowed, loosing his patience.

"Sir he was just a child!" Tala replied, yelling slightly.

Boris growled, ready to blow his top at the team.

Kai stood up, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his arm.

"We've made sure that he won't try that stunt again Master Balkov." The lilac haired teen said.

"Good Bryan..." Boris sighed slightly. "Why don't you, Tala, Spencer, and Ian go back to the training facility...."

The four teens looked at each other nervously, but bowed their heads and exited the room.

Tala looked back at Kai, who nodded slightly in reply. With a sigh, the red head disappeared into the dark hallway.

"As for you...."

---

Hilary moaned as the familiar sound of a rusted door opened.

Her eyelids fluttered slightly before opening fully to see a blue haired boy standing at the door.

Blinking a few times, the image cleared and she finally saw Kai, opening the door with one hand and balancing a tray with his other.

She sat up slightly, backing up against the wall and pulling the blanket closer up around her.

Kai walked in and sat the tray on the floor.

The brunette glanced down at it for a moment before realizing what it was exactly.

A loaf of bread and a bowl of something that looked like a stew were arranged on the tray, and a bottle of water laid on its side next to the bowl.

"You haven't been fed since you got here, so eat while you can. You won't get much." Kai finally spoke, drawing Hilary's attention up to his crimson eyes.

She gasped. The teen looked like he had been in some kind of fight. He had a few cuts around his hairline, a small gash under his left eye, and numerous bruises over his tattooed cheeks.

"What happened to you?"

"It shouldn't concern you."

"Did that guy do that to you....for helping that boy?"

Kai seemed to jump slightly, glancing back over at the brunette.

"Why did you do that....why did you save him?"

Kai looked away for a moment. "No one should be in this hell except for the two who created it. Many have died at that post...and the abbey doesn't need anymore victims."

Hilary stared at him for a moment before reaching out and touching his bruised cheek.

Kai suddenly stood up as if afraid of the touch and backed away.

"I....I'm sorry...did I hurt you?"

"Just eat." With that, he closed the barred door behind him and disappeared.

---

_3 days later:_

"That was pathetic! Re-launch!" Boris called out.

Tala, Bryan, Kai, Spencer and Ian all collected their beyblades and repositioned their launchers over the concrete dishes.

"3....2....1.....Launch!"

The teens pulled their ripcords with all their strength, sending their prized beyblades into play.

"Kai? Are you feeling alright?" Tala asked, looking over at his friend.

Dranzer seemed a little sluggish today, and Wolborg had easily gained an advantage over the fiery phoenix.

"I'm fine!" The blue haired teen replied.

His blue beyblade slammed into his grey opponent, sending the wolf up the side of the dish.

"Wolborg!"

"Dranzer!"

Fire clashed with snow as the two bitbeasts collided, sending a cloud of steam up into the air.

As the smoke cleared a few minutes later, Wolborg began to wobble, and fell still at the bottom of the dish.

A few seconds later, Dranzer did the same.

Kai and Tala fell on their knees, panting for breath.

"Well done Hiwatari...but you both need serious work!" Boris's voice boomed. "Get up and do it again!"

The teen's stared at each other, but weren't surprised Boris was pushing them this hard.

Usually, blood would have already been shed...Boris must be in a good mood today.

"3.....2.....1....Launch!"

---

A guard opened the iron gate less than gracefully, and stormed over to Hilary, who had been curled up in a tight ball in a deep sleep.

The brunette was yanked to her feet, and pulled down the hallway in a hasteful manner.

"Let me go!" She demanded, clawing at the guard's hand. "Where are you taking me?!"

The guard didn't answer, and continued to pull her down the long dark hallway.

Within a few minutes, the dark facade of the hallways immediately changed into a lighter hall. The stone walls had been replaced with plaster, and were brightly lit with sconces every few feet.

They came to a set of swinging doors, crafted out of stainless steel.

Hilary's body trembled at the sight of those doors, horrible feelings and thoughts running through her mind at what laid beyond those doors.

"Move!" The guard pushed her into the doors, and immediately into a new room.

"Welcome young lady! I see that Hiwatari has done his duty in keeping you alive through the blizzard." A deep voice exclaimed.

Hilary looked over to see a familiar tall man, with red lensed goggles over his eyes.

"Y...you!" She gasped, taking a few steps back but only running into the guard.

The man chuckled. "Forgive me for not introducing myself properly earlier...my name is Boris Balkov, and this is my abbey. Here we train the world's best beyblading warriors! Have you heard of the Demolition Boys?"

Hilary gasped. She remember hearing about their stunning victory at last year's World Championships!

"Heh...the Demolition Boys belong to me and this abbey, and we are preparing for another victory this year."

"So what?! What does this have to do with me?!"

"I've received word that Stanley Dickinson and the BBA in Japan have put together a strong list of potential beybladers to form the team to represent Japan in the championships...and if left unchecked, BioVolt could be done for!" Boris proceeded over to Hilary, his eyes trailing her features. "So I devised a plan to rid the BBA of these players...particularly your little friend Tyson Granger."

Hilary gasped, her eyes widening in fear.

"But something unexpected happened...he was beaten...by you! A mere amateur with no experience!"

"But..."

"Never the less...you became our new priority." Boris turned his back to her and snapped his fingers, signaling the guard to pick Hilary up and move her onto an examining table.

"No! Let me go!" The brunette screamed, kicking her legs as a team of men held her down and strapped her to the cold table.

Hilary cried out slightly as something sharp pricked her forearm.

Looking down, she saw one of the technicians tape down a wire to her skin, securing a long needle in her vein.

"What...what are you going to do?!"

"For now...I want to see what you can take...."

Hilary's vision became dark as she felt some unknown substance rush through her body.

"Sleep tight young one"

-------------------------------

Please review!!!

That little training scene has some significance...but you'll see it a little later....just to let you know.


	4. Kai Falls

Hey again!  
WOW!!! I haven't written much lately...and it feels weird!  
Hopefully this update will be alright...

Thank you for all the great and wonderful reviews!

Guess what?! Tala's in this chapter!  
I know Droopy1389 will be happy about that!  
Of course...knowing me...he's probably OOC like Kai!  
....ugh.  
oh well

Special Thanks To :

naomi - That's a great suggestion! Thanks! I'll be sure to use it in a later chapter!

Phoenix-Roar - oh don't worry about Boris...he'll get his from our favorite bishie! MUAHAHAHA!!!

Alright...enough of my blabbering.  
Hopefully this chapter isn't boring...I tried...

-------------------

Chapter 4

"Kai! Where have you been?!" Tala demanded to know as his blue haired friend walked into the training 't find her." He whispered in his ear.

"You missed lunch again...if you keep this up, you're going to collapse!"

Kai's crimson eyes glared at his friend. "I rather die than have anything bad happen to that girl...."

"Heh..." Tala closed his icy eyes and sighed. "Better get to training...before Boris comes in."

Kai nodded, pulling out his beloved Dranzer and connecting it to his launcher.

With the sounding of a loud buzzer, the two beybladers launched their blades into an earthen stadium, dust kicking up as they swarmed around the dish.

A soft movement from above caught Kai's eye.

The teen glanced up toward the ceiling, where an office hung as a loft. The darkened windows revealed a shadow, with two glowing red orbs.

"Boris..." Kai snarled, sneering up at the shadow.

"Wolborg! Attack now!"

Tala's voice brought Kai back to the battle.

"Dranzer! Evade!"

The ice wolf charged at the fiery phoenix, who flew up into the air just in time.

"Flame Sabre!" Kai yelled out his attack.

A swirling fire formed around the blue beyblade as if fell from the sky, heading straight for it's enemy.

"Wolborg!"

Dranzer slammed down on top of the grey blade, but miraculously, it still kept spinning.

Tala sighed with relief. "Throw him off!"

The red head's blade obeyed immediately, tilting to the side so that the attack ring hit the bottom of the dish.

The grey beyblade was thrown into the air with the recoil, sending the blue enemy off in another direction.

Kai cursed. "That's new..."

"I thought you would like it." Tala smirked at his friend.

Dranzer crashed against the side of the dish, but managed to recover.

"Let's end this Dranzer!" Kai cried out.

With a screech of approval, a crimson phoenix rose out of the blue beyblade, ready to attack.

"Wolborg!" Tala called to his bitbeast.

The howling of a fierce wolf echoed throughout the training room as a snow white beast rose out of its bit, snarling at the legendary phoenix.

"Go!"

"Attack!"

The two beyblades rushed at each other.

"Dranzer! Inferno!" Kai called out his attack, a bright fire forming around his blade.

Suddenly, seconds before the two blades collided, the flame faded, and Dranzer disappeared back inside its bit with a loud cry.

"Huh?" Tala was shocked. Why did Kai recall his bitbeast?

The grey blade couldn't slow down, and ended up slamming into its opponent, sending it back at its master's feet.

"Kai?" He looked over at his friend, who was breathing heavily, and trembling slightly.

Kai exhaled loudly, his eyes going wide.

"Kai?" Tala's voice rang in his ears.

The red head rushed to the other side of the beyblade dish, just as his friend fell on his knees, gasping desperately for air.

"Kai?" Tala's voice asked, full of concern.

The blue haired teen grabbed at his shirt, as if it was the cause of his lack of breath.  
His friend reached out to him, but he quickly snapped at him.

"Don't touch me!"

Tala backed off, sighing sadly.

Kai's gaze shifted up to his opponent after a moment.

Tala was still staring down at him, concern covering his normally stern features.

"Kai! What happened?!"

The blue haired teen tried to reply, but couldn't find the energy to.

He was sweating badly, and his muscles trembled under his skin.

"Kai, you're....."

Tala looked up at the darkened windows above them, seeing no figure behind them.

He cursed under his breath.

"What the hell was that?!" A furious voice demanded.

The red head's attention shot over to his right to see a foreboding figure stomp over to them.

"That had to be the WORST performance from you, Hiwatari, than I have ever seen from ANYONE!!!"

Kai hissed, unable to bring his head up to face his trainer.

With an ominous growl, Boris' hand slipped under his coat and brought out a coiled whip.

"Sir!" Tala started.

"Out of the way Ivanov!" The purpled haired Russian shoved the champion blader away as he approached the fallen teen.  
-  
"Ugh!"

Sounds of pain and struggle rang throughout the dingy hallways, but no one that heard them seemed fazed.

"What the hell is wrong with you Hiwatari?!" A dark voice demanded.

Another cry of pain was heard after a loud crackle.

"Boris!" Tala's voice exclaimed once again, attempting to stop the torture.

Kai looked up from the ground he had fallen on to see his one and only friend, Tala, standing next to him at attention.

Boris lowered his whip slightly. "What?!" He snarled, not like being interrupted.

"I'm....I'm sure he's sick...or something. He hasn't been eating either...." Tala knew Kai would kill him for saying something like that, but he had to take the chance....maybe Boris would go easy on him this time.

"Is this true?" Boris glared down at the injured teen, who refused to look at him.

"Answer me!"

"Ahhh!" Kai cried out in pain as the leather whip contacted against his back again, sending him flat on his chest.

Suddenly, the conflict was interrupted with a beeping.

Boris looked down at his belt to see a red light blink furiously.

"I grow tired of all this....throw him in the dungeon! I have other matters to attend to."

With that, Boris threw his whip down and stormed out of the room, leaving the injured Kai and Tala alone with only a guard.

"I'm sorry my friend..." The red head whispered, bending down to help his friend up.

The guard came over and grabbed Kai by the back of his torn shirt, forcing him to his feet and pushing him toward the door.

"Hey....Tala?" He started, coughing slightly as he slammed against the door. "Watch the girl...keep her safe for me..."

Before he could say anymore, Kai was pushed out of the room and down the hallway, headed for his punishment.

The red headed Russian sighed, his shoulders drooping slightly.

"What's going on with you Kai? You haven't been the same since that girl arrived....."

---------------

Okay...I'm stopping here...this was going to be a LONG chapter! Didn't want to bore anyone.

Don't forget to review!!! 


	5. New Ally

_Wow...heh...I've been meaning to post this for a LONG time now.  
Sorry about that if you accually were waiting!_

_This chapter is...ugh...everyone knows what I'm gonna say here...so I'll spare myself and everyone else._

_I think it might be a little sappy...and I'm not sure if Tala is OOC...I tried to keep him in character...but yeah..._

_Thank you for all the wonderful reviews!_

_Enjoy if you can!_

_-_

**Chapter 5 : New Ally**

"What's happening?" Boris asked upon entering the laboratory.

"She seems to be taking it hard sir." A man in a white coat replied.

The purple haired Russian glanced over to the metallic table where a young brunette girl was being held captive.

All her clothes had been removed, leaving her in only her underwear.

Her cold body jolted in pain as waves of heat and electricity ran through her body.

"Increase the power."

"But sir...!"

"I said increase the power!" Boris snapped, his goggles glowing a brilliant red.

The lab technician hesitantly reached out to grab a black dial, turning it to the right.

Electricity sparked around the room as Hilary bucked against her restraints, screaming in unbearable pain.

Boris' maniacal laughter erupted over the noise as he studied a computer screen, its figures increasing with each second.

Suddenly, the screen cracked, and the Russian's laughter faded.

"Sir!" The technician exclaimed. "The system is overloading!"

"No! Not again!" Boris rushed over to the console, pushing the man out of his seat.

"Hurry! Shut everything down! I won't lose this one!"

Before anyone could do anything, the console exploded in a cloud of smoke that quickly filled the room.

Hilary's body fell lifelessly on the table.

"Huh?" Her eyes opened weakly after a few moments.

Spoke immediately filled her nose, and she gagged.

Her whole body ached with tremendous pain, and she could barely move.

The room was in complete hysteria. Among the smoke she could make out a few figures rushing about trying to extinguish a fire at the other end of the room.

The brunette looked down at herself, seeing all of her clothes had been removed except for her undergarments.

Wires protruded out of her arms and legs.

Panic rushed through her. What had happened to her!

After a second, she also realized that her restraints had been opened. She figured they must have been controlled by electricity, and when that fire started, all power failed.

Knowing that this was a perfect time for her to escape, she rolled over and fell off the table, landing hard on her side, causing the wires to rip out of her flesh.

She moaned and tried to push herself off the cold floor.

The brunette managed to get to her knees, her arms trembling under the pressure.

"I...don't care how much...it hur...hurts...I need to get out of h...here!" She kept telling herself.

Using the side of the table as a balance, she pulled herself up on her feet, her legs wobbling slightly.

Grabbing hold of random objects she approached, she made it to the open door and burst out into the hallway.

She took a moment, coughing for fresh air.

Looking back at the room, Hilary saw that no one seemed to notice her disappearance.

The smoke had been a perfect cover for her.

Hearing approaching voices over the commotion, she decided she needed to get out of there, and began walking down the wall in the opposite direction.

-

"Kai...need...to find...Kai..." Hilary told herself over and over again, hoping desperately that he would just appear at the end of the hall.

She had a feeling that she was going in circles, trying to find her way around the labyrinth of an abbey, and her strength was fading fast.

Dropping to her knees, she let out an exhausted sigh.

A cold shiver ran through her body as her bare skin touched the metal floor, and she began trembling.

Wrapping her bleeding arms around her, she tried in futile attempt to keep warm.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice speak out in Russian from the next hallway.

"Kai!" She exclaimed silently, pulling herself to her feet.

Trudging down the hall, she turned the corner only to run into three trainees, all shocked to see her.

"No...where's Kai!" She was in complete shock to speak.

"Hey! Look what we have here!"

"It's a girl!" The boy seemed shocked as he said those word, as if he had never seen a female before, but had only heard about them.

Hilary took a step backward, trying to cover herself as best she could.

"Heh...so the rumors are true! Boris brought a girl here!"

The three boys began to surround Hilary, forcing her into a corner.

"Leave me alone!" She exclaimed, sinking down to the floor.

"Ooo...she's Japanese!"

"Don't get many of those around here anymore!"

The boys snickered, closing in around the brunette.

As much as Hilary wanted to fight back, she couldn't. All her strength seemed to had disappeared!

"Come here..." One of the boys reached out to caress her cheek, when suddenly a sharp pain ran through his head, and he fell motionless on the floor.

"What the...?"

The remaining two turned around to attack, but immediately stopped upon seeing the figure who had knocked their friend out.

"I...Ivanov!"

"Wh...what are you doing here!" The other boy exclaimed.

"Leave the girl alone...she is protected by Kai."

The boys' eyes went wide.

"K..Kai! We...we didn't know!"

Tala's glare didn't let up, and the two boys bent down and helped their friend.

"We're sorry Tala! Just don't tell Boris!"

"Hmph." Ice blue eyes narrowed dangerously as the older Russian snarled. "You never saw her...got it?"

The boys gulped down their fear. "Y...yes sir!"

With that, they rushed off down the hall and disappeared.

Tala turned to the frightened brunette who was still curled up in the corner.

"Are you alright?" He asked in Japanese, hoping that he wouldn't scare her off.

After a moment, she looked up into his bright blue eyes.

She trembled even more at the sight of the red headed teenager before her, scared he would take her back to that room again.

"It's alright...I'm a friend of Kai."

Hilary gasped with surprise, and she felt herself beginning to calm down.

Tala smirked at her reaction.

"Come on...and stay quiet." He said, bending down and helping her to her feet.

Hilary didn't know what else to do but follow him down the hallway.

"In here...hurry!" He opened a door and pushed the brunette in, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Wh...wh...who..." She stammered, shaking uncontrollably from the cold.

Sinking down to her knees, Hilary glanced around her new surroundings.

She was in a dark room, its walls crafted from a hard grey stone. Two beds sat at opposite ends of the room, and a large closet was positioned next to the only door.

The boy was busy digging through the closet. Suddenly, he found the object he was looking for. A large red and black coat, with BioVolt's insignia on the back.

Hilary watched as the boy treaded back over and put the coat on her, buttoning the front until it was completely closed.

The coat was warm, and had a lovely and familiar scent to it.

"Wh...why are y..you hel...helping me...?" Her teeth chattered.

"Shhh...my name is Tala...Kai asked me to help you when he wasn't around. I'm sure he won't mind you wearing that." The red head smirked.

"K...Kai?" She looked down at the coat, its sleeves covering her hands and the bottom trailing well down to past her knees. "Wh...why doesn't he wear this?"

Tala shrugged. "He doesn't get cold so easily." He stood up and offered his hand to the girl. "Why don't you get some rest? They won't look for you here."

Hilary blinked a few times before taking his hand and standing to her feet.

Tala motioned over to a bed in the corner.

The brunette glanced over to the red headed Russian, who gave her a quick smile.

"Oh...by the way. Don't trust anyone else but Kai and myself here..."

With a nod, Hilary laid down on the soft bed, it's rusted frame squeaking slightly at the pressure.

Tala walked up next to Hilary's form and tossed a thick set of blankets over her.

He bent down so he could look her in the eyes. "I must leave you now... Don't try to leave, unless you want to go back to the dungeon."

With that, Tala stood and headed toward the door.

"Where...where's Kai?"

The red head stopped suddenly, glancing down at the floor. "He's...preoccupied at the moment..."

"Wh...when can I see him again?" She asked, shivering as she pulled the blanket up around her tightly.

Ice blue eyes stared at her for a moment. He hid his sadness well. "I'm sure it won't be too much longer." He lied, giving the freezing girl a warm smile.

Hilary nodded weakly in reply, and Tala opened the door and disappeared outside.

-

_yeah...I have no clue what Tala's surname is...oh well..._

_PLEASE REVIEW!_


	6. Search for Kai

_Hey everyone!  
Thank you for all the great reviews!_

_Sorry for the wait, I almost forgot about this story! heh..._

_Anyway...I'm not sure how good this chapter is...I think I'm loosing my "writing skill" if I ever had any to begin with..._

_Enjoy if possible!_

**Chapter 6**

With a groggy moan, Hilary's ruby colored eyes opened slowly.

She found herself in the same dark room she had fallen asleep in, only faint echoes penetrated the stone walls from outside.

Pushing herself in a sitting position, she rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of the black jacket she had been given.

With a yawn she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, only to be engulfed by a wave of dizziness.

She fell back on the bed in pain, clutching her stomach and keeling over slightly.

"What's...wrong with me!" She asked herself, her body shaking with an unknown pain.

Suddenly, her eyes went wide. "That...room!"

Images of the torture she managed to endure flooded her mind. She remembered that warm liquid that flowed through her veins, and the waves of heat and pain that made her body lash out against her will.

The girl grabbed her head, trying to focus on something else.

She gasped, seeing the enormous sleeves of the jacket that covered her bare skin.

"Kai!"

The brunette glanced about the room in search of the blue haired teen, but found she was the only one.

Fighting another wave of dizziness, she dragged herself over to the closet by the door.

There, she found a pair of blue jeans that seemed to be close to her size.

Figuring they wouldn't be missed too much, she slipped them on over her bruised and blood-caked legs and fastened them around her small waist.

They were a little too big, but it was better than nothing.

In her delirious state, she grabbed the handle to the door and fell out into the hall, the hood of her jacket flipping over on top of her head.

Hilary froze as she heard someone call out at her.

After a moment, the voice repeated itself, this time closer.

"Oh no...what should I do!" The brunette's mind raced. How would she get out of this one? She didn't recognizee the voice as Tala or Kai, so it had to be another boy from the abbey.

Suddenly, something kicked her leg slightly.

"What are you doing! You're suppost to be looking for that prisoner!" The boy snarled in Russian.

Hilary decided to stay silent and keep her gaze at the floor, since she had no clue what he was saying.

The boy sighed. "Lazy fool...did you hear me!" This time he reached down to grab the collar of the black jacket hiding Hilary's identity from him.

"...da!" She shouted in the deepest voice she could muster.

The boy paused for a moment before saying something snide in reply and running off.

Hilary let out a long sigh. She must have answered a question correctly then.

She reached up and pulled the hood off her head, ruffling her brown hair.

Glancing down after the boy, she got to her feet and leaned against the wall.

"Which way?" Her eyelids fell half way in exhaustion.

"No!" She shook her head fiercely. She couldn't fall asleep now...she had to find Kai!

More voices came from behind her, and Hilary decided she should follow the boy's direction.

Despite all the noises she heard around her, there was very few people in the halls.

Occasionally she would see someone run by the connecting hallway, or into a room, but no one seemed to notice her at all! She hoped to God she could stay that way long enough to find Kai.

Turning another corner, she came to a deep staircase, descending into a thick darkness.

A slight tremble ran through her body as noises echoed up from the darkness.

It sounded like someone was in pain, coughing and gasping for air.

Curiosity driving her, she proceeded silently down the stairs, a cold air hitting her as she opened the door at the bottom.

She forced herself inside, closing the heavy door behind her.

Hilary gasped at what she saw.

She was standing in the middle of a hallway, with rows of prison like cells lining each side of her.

All but a couple were empty, except for a few that had motionless bodies inside the shadows.

Swallowing her fear, she pressed on toward another door at the end of the hallway.

Pushing it open, she found herself in the exact same hallway, only this time all the cells were empty.

"Kai?" She asked softly, looking into each cell as she passed.

Her fear grew with each step she took toward that third door. The brunette tried to brace herself for what she may see, but deep inside she knew that she couldn't possibly prepare herself for what lied in store in this abbey.

Shakily, she pushed open the door again, and was immediately shrouded in another cold wind.

Once the door was closed, she could see a faint light in the distance, illuminating one cell toward the middle of the hallway.

As she approached, she glanced into each cell as she did before, in hope of finding the boy that had protected her.

"Kai?" She called out again, now standing at the cell.

She couldn't see anything inside, and turned around to the opposite side, her hopes quickly dying.

A gasp came from behind her.

Hilary glanced about somewhat panicked as she tried to figure out where it came from.

"What the hell are you doing here!" A voice scolded, not yelling, but loud in volume.

The brunette swung around, her ruby eyes falling down to a dark figure rested against the brick wall inside a cell, his arms bound above his head.

She gasped, drawing closer to the figure. "K..Kai?"

As she got closer, the dim light fell upon the chained figure, illuminating his features.

Sure enough, it was Kai, but in not too good of shape.

"You've caused quite the commotion upstairs..."

His clothes had been shredded, and blood had gotten everywhere. Hilary noticed his chest heavy everytime he inhaled, and but his face showed little sign of pain. His skin had paled even more that it was naturally, and multiple cuts and colorful bruises decorated his body.

The blue haired teen pulled himself more upright using his bound arms, trying to breathe.

"If they find you..."

"Oh Kai!" She cried out suddenly, falling to her knees next to him. She grabbed hold of the rusted iron bars as tears slowly began to trickle down her cheeks.

"I was so worried about you! What happened? Are you alright?"

"Stop it!" Kai snapped softly, his crimson eyes narrowing at the girl.

Hilary seemed taken aback at the sudden anger from her new friend, and fell silent.

"What did they do to you?" Kai asked after a long moment of silence.

The brunette looked up, somewhat surprised.

"I can see it in your eyes...they did something...what? An experiment?"

Hilary's gaze fell back to the floor. "I...I don't know...T...Tala helped me though..."

Kai sighed. "Good..." Suddenly, he went into a coughing fit, heaving up blood onto the floor in between his legs.

"Kai!" Hilary was staring at him with concern and fright in her eyes again. "They beat you...didn't they?"

"I deserved it...I broke the rules, and it's the price you must pay."

"They kick and beat you and say it's what you deserve! That's wrong Kai! You have to fight back!"

"Heh..." Kai chuckled lightly. "It doesn't matter what's wrong or right here..."

Suddenly, the back door slammed, echoing down the dingy hallway.

The blue haired teen gasped, his eyes going wide for a moment.

"Hilary! Run! He's coming! Run as fast as you can and get out of here!" Kai whispered, urgency in his voice.

The brunette rose to her feet, taking a few steps in the opposite direction.

"What are you waiting for! Run already!" Kai hissed.

The sound was heard again, this time it was much louder.

"I can't leave you like this!"

"This is no time for heroics! Leave me! I can take care of myself!" Kai growled, panic rushing through his body.

If they caught her here...there was no telling what would happen to her.

"Go now damnit!"

Hilary backed up a few more feet, glancing at the door one last time before turning and running down the hallway.

As soon as she disappeared, the door opened, and a tall, foreboding figure walked in, approaching Kai with a sick smirk on his face.

The teen growled, scowling up into the glowing red goggles on his captor's face.

"Do you think you'll be willing to comply now young Kai?"

**End Chapter**

_PLEASE review!_


	7. Escape from Hell

_Hey people! Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! _

So here's the next chapter! A reviewer gave me the idea for this...sorry I don't remember your name...

Enjoy if possible!  
--------------------  
**Chapter 7 Escape from Hell**

Hilary watched in silence as Boris walked into Kai's cell. The rustling of chains was heard, and soon enough, Kai was tossed out of the cell, landing against the bars of another across the hall.

The teen moaned, trying in vain to pick himself up.

The brunette covered her mouth, trying to hold back her sobs, but nevertheless, tears began to rain down her cheeks.

Boris' boot connected with the blue haired teen's side, sending him into another coughing fit as the air from his lungs was ejected from his body.

"Have you learned your lesson this time Hiwatari? Or should I keep you down here until your bones are all that remain?"

Kai growled, glaring up into the glowing red lenses that hid his captor's eyes.

A scowl crossed the purple haired man's lips, and he kicked the teen again, sending him flat on his back a few feet away.

"What was that?"

Kai flipped himself over, heaving blood out onto the floor.

All Hilary could do was watch in horror as the evil Russian walked over and lifted his weak body into the air by the back of his shirt.

Kai had no strength left to resist, and his head fell against his chest.

"I though so..." Boris smirked.

Throwing the teen over his shoulder, he turned and exited the hallway, the clanging of the heavy doors echoing as each of them closed.

A sob escaped Hilary's throat. What was going to happen to her now without Kai?

She shook her head, trying to think of something else. She remembered the times when he snuck food to her, and always made sure she was safe.

"You protected me..." She said in almost a whisper.

Suddenly, she looked up, her ruby eyes glowing with strength. "...now it's time for me to return the favor."

Boris walked up the stairs and into the dim hallway where two guards awaited him.

"Take him to the medical ward. I want him on his feet in an hour!"

Kai's body was handed off to one of the guards, who turned and marched down the hall at a quick pace.

Boris turned and looked down the stairs, hearing a faint noise.

"Sir?"

"I believe we've found our newest recruit." A sick smile crossed his face.

The guard rushed down the stairs and positioned himself next to the door, waiting for it to open.

After a few more minutes, the heavy door creaked open.

The guard kicked it open and grabbed blindly inside.

A shrill scream echoed throughout the hallway, and Hilary was pulled out from behind the door.

"Let go of me!" She screamed, flailing about in attempt to get free.

The brunette immediately fell silent as Boris began to laugh.

She looked up the stairs and into his red lensed goggles, her eyes glowing with anger.

"I should have known you would find Hiwatari! You two are drawn to each other, aren't you?"

Confusion crossed Hilary's face for a moment. What was that supposed to mean!

"Heh...you both have special genes my dear..." Boris started, reading her expression well.

"You both are strong, with much potential. Our mission will be accomplished with you on our side most surely!"

Hilary's ruby eyes went wide. She remember him saying something about riding the BBA of its strongest bladers, but she didn't even have a blade!

"Take her upstairs. I'd like to see a demonstration from you in an hour my dear."

An hour had passed, and Hilary found herself being pushed into the large training area where she first saw Kai.

The room was once again filled with the boys who lived in the abbey, all waiting with growing impatience.

The brunette glanced down at her feet to see that she was at the edge of a beyblade dish, positioned in the center of a stage.

Panic gripped her heart.

"Hilary." She heard a faint whisper behind her.

Whirling around, she saw Tala, a somber look on his face, with the rest of the Demolition Boys spread out around the stage.

"Tala!" She almost exclaimed. "What's going on!"

She glanced around, looking for any sign of Kai, and finally found him, his arms hung over the shoulders of Bryan and Spencer.

The red head opened his mouth to reply, but fell silent as the main doors opened, and Boris appeared at the far end of the room.

Everyone shot to attention, standing completely straight and looking ahead as their leader passed by.

"Good afternoon my warriors. Today, I have a rare treat for you to enjoy."

Hilary took a step backward, only to run into a strong guard.

"Everyone is aware of the Championships that will be held in only 9 months, and our mission to defeat the opposition rests in only the hands of three of our strongest players."

Tala swallowed hard. He didn't like where this was going one bit.

He already knew he was one of the players that was going, and he was sure Kai was the other, but Boris hadn't chosen the third yet, and everyone expected it to be another from the Russian team.

"As you know, the third spot is still open, and today, it will be filled. Whoever can defeat this girl will be the fifth member of the Demolition Boys!"

A gasp rang out through the audience.

Shouts of protest followed soon after the initial shock. Most of the boys didn't like the idea of a girl being on their powerful team.

"Boris sir! You can't be serious!" Tala interjected.

Kai raised his head slightly, watching as Boris walked up onto the stage and stood next to Hilary.

"She...doesn't even have a beyblade!" He managed to say, standing up and letting his arms fall to his side.

Boris picked up on the injured teen's words. He smirked, and dug in his pocket for something.

After a moment, he pulled out a black beyblade, and another gasp of fright echoed throughout the room.

Kai's crimson eyes went wide. "No...you...can't!"

"Indeed I can young Kai..."

"But Boris! Kai's the only one who can control it! If you make her do it..." Tala exclaimed.

"Silence!" Boris yelled.

He turned and handed the beyblade and launcher to Hilary, forcing her fingers to close around them.

"This girl has the same power Kai holds! If she can master this blade, our mission will surely be a success!"

The guard pushed Hilary toward the edge of the dish again.

"Hilary! Don't launch that blade!" Kai yelled, rushing to the edge of the stage.

Her hands were shaking with confusion and fright.

"What should I do? I can't beyblade...I just got lucky when I beat Tyson!" Her thoughts warred against each other.

Suddenly, a clicking sound snapped her back into reality.

She spun around to see Boris, bent down next to Kai. One of his gloved hands was clenched around Kai's white scarf, and the other held a gun to his head.

"Launch the blade, or say good-bye to your hero."

Hilary felt her heart stop for a moment. Kai's life now rested in her hands. She had no other choice.

"No!" Kai cried out as the brunette readied the launcher and beyblade over the dish.

"Excellent."

Five boys from the crowd got up onto the stage and prepared their beyblades.

"Launch in three...two...one..."

"Let it rip!"

The boys, along with Hilary all released their beyblades into the stadium.

The sheer force of the black beyblade sent Hilary on her back. She sat up somewhat disoriented.

"Damn you Boris!" Kai snarled.

The opposing beyblades rammed into Hilary's, creating a shockwave that rang through her body.

"...what's...happening to me!" Her ruby eyes were wide with fright as a familiar pain washed over her.

The black beyblade torn into one of the enemies, shredding it to pieces.

Hilary gasped, fear now coursing through her veins. "What kind of blade is this? It's a monster!"

Boris' maniacal laughter filled the room. "Yes! This is the power I want! This is the power that we need! The power of BlackDranzer!"

The brunette suddenly screamed, grabbing her head in pain as a dark aura appeared from the blade.

"No! She's summoning the bitbeast!" Tala exclaimed.

"It'll devour her! She's not strong enough to handle it!" Kai shouted over the noise, digging through his pockets for Dranzer.

Soon enough, Kai found his beloved blade, and launched it up into the bowl just as BlackDranzer defeated the remaining trainees.

The blue haired teen vaulted onto the stage and ran to the dish.

"Dranzer!" He cried, summoning his bitbeast to do battle.

"No!" Boris exclaimed. "Stop him you fools!"

It was too late.

Kai knew this black blade like the back of his hand, and seizing the opportunity, sent the evil blade out of the dish and into the brick wall next to Boris.

With a faint moan, Hilary fell backward.

Kai rushed to her side, catching her just before her body hit the ground.

"Hilary?" He asked, somewhat frantic.

He brushed away her light brown bangs from her eyes, earning a faint sigh from her.

A loud growl erupted from Kai's throat, his blood red eyes burning with hatred toward Boris.

"HIWATARI!" Boris shouted at the top of his lungs, and stormed over to the teen.

Ignoring the man for a moment, Kai helped Hilary sit up slightly. She was a bit dizzy, but still conscious.

"This is the second time you've interfered with my plans!" The enraged Russian grabbed hold of Kai's black tanktop and hoisted him into the air.

"What the hell is wrong with you! Do you want to die before our mission is complete! What would your grandfather have to say about this!"

"Screw my grandfather!" Kai spat, narrowing his eyes.

Boris growled. "How dare you insult Lord Voltaire!"

Kai was thrown back on the ground. He smirked slightly, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand and getting to his feet.

Boris was thrown off. Kai had never acted this way before. "I don't know what you have up your sleeve Hiwatari...but when I find out..."

"Heh..." Kai chuckled, interrupting the enraged Boris. "One problem Boris..." He extended his arms outward slightly. "...I don't have any sleeves."

With that, the blue haired teen balled his hand into a fist and slugged his trainer with all his might across the jaw.

Boris, shocked from the quick movement of the injured teen, stumbled and fell backward.  
His red lensed goggles falling from his eyes and cracked as they contacted with the hard concrete floor.

The crowd gasped as their trainer fell, not believing that someone had succeeding in striking him.

"Kai!" Tala was even surprised, but couldn't help beaming a pleased smile at his friend.

Kai himself had a proud smirk as he brushed his hands off as the audience broke out into loud commotion.

After a few seconds, Boris came back to reality, growling furiously.

"KAIII!" He bellowed.

Tala shot a worried glance over to his friend, who was busy helping Hilary to her feet.

Kai turned around as Boris tried to get to his feet. His eyes glanced toward Tala.

"I suppose it's time we leave."

Tala nodded, smiling.

"Good-bye my friend..."

In the blink of an eye, Kai plucked Hilary up in his arms and jumped off the platform, rushing through the isle of people and out into the hallway.

"What are you all doing! Catch them!" Boris screeched.

At that, a handful of the boys rushed out after the two escapees.

Boris' enraged glare turned to the remaining Demolition Boys, Tala, Bryan and Ian all trying to hide their snickering. They all fell silent when they saw their trainer's glare.

"As for you...make sure they don't leave the grounds!"

"Yes sir!" They all saluted him and rushed out of the room.

Hilary was still somewhat in shock by all the events that had happened earlier.

Suddenly, the faint sound of a heart beat sent her back into reality.

She watched as she flew by doors that lined the hallway, and the flickering lights overhead.

She moaned lightly, looking upward to see the face of the boy that had saved her.

"Kai..."

He looked down at her, his pace not slowing in the slightest.

"Are you alright?

She managed to nod weakly, her eyes drifting down to her lap.

Her hand grabbed the fabric of Kai's shirt as she buried her head in his chest.

Kai could feel her body trembling in his arms as he ran down the hall.

Suddenly, he stopped at a room and darted inside, only to reappear a few seconds later with a thick coat identical to the one Hilary had been wearing.

Throwing it over his shoulders, he picked the brunette up again and continued toward the exit.

"We're going to escape from this hell...I'll make sure you'll never have to touch that blade again."

Hilary sniffed, images from that battle replaying in her mind.

"I...I want to go home..." Her remaining defenses broke and she began to cry loudly into Kai's chest, clinging to him for dear life.

The older teen's eyes softened toward the girl for a moment, his heart cringing at her sadness.

"Don't cry...I'll get you home, I promise."

_Wow...that was long! ...and BAD!_

_Now...REVIEW PLEASE!_


	8. Close to Freedom

_Alright….this is the missing chapter!_

_For some reason, I over looked this but now I have it all figured out!_

_Sorry for all the confusion…if there was any_

_Enjoy if you can!_

_---_

**Chapter 8 - Close to Freedom**

Kai ran past a tall set of metal doors and into the open, fresh air of the Russian skies.

Ducking into one of the rooms that were used for guests when they came to visit the abbey, Kai set Hilary down on a bed so he could properly fasten his coat in front of him.

All the brunette could do was stare at her hands, as if she had committed a terrible murder. She couldn't believe that she had unleashed that incredible power!

"Why? Why did they create such a thing!"

Suddenly, a voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" She looked up slightly, seeing Kai staring over his shoulder at her.

"Can you move on your own?" He asked again, his chest expanding and contracting quickly as he tried to catch his breath.

Hilary nodded and stood. "I...I think I'm alright now..."

Kai turned to face her, a serious look in his crimson eyes. "Are you sure about that?"

She let out an exhausted sigh and fell back onto the bed again, running her cold hands through her tangled hair.

"What is a blade like that doing here Kai! Why did they even create it?"

Kai stared at her for a moment, before walking quietly over to her side and bending down to her eye level.

"I suppose you would like to know the story then..."

Hilary swallowed hard. This obviously wasn't going to be any fairy tale.

The blue haired teen dug into his pocket, and produced a blue beyblade, a picture of a fire red bird in the center.

The girl gasped. It was almost identical to the one she had been forced to use!

"This is my Dranzer. She's one of the four sacred spirits that watches over the earth. When I first came here...she was taken from me, and they separated her dark and light sides. As a result, BlackDranzer...the blade you used, was born."

"...but...so that would explain why everyone said you were the only one who could use it!"

Kai clamped his teeth together and looked toward the floor.

"I was drawn to its power...and when I was young, I took it without Boris' permission...and...and I destroyed most of this abbey..."

Hilary gasped. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words.

"I was traumatized at the disaster...and Boris knew that I may never be able to use BlackDranzer again, so he started to research what made me special...and his search for another blader that could launch the power of the dark blade began."

"Kai...I never want to touch that blade again...it was...cold...evil!" She crossed her arms over her chest, as if the temperature had severely dropped.

"I'll make sure you'll never have to." The older teen placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Now...do you think you can run? We're wasting too much time here."

Hilary nodded and got to her feet.

"This way!"

Kai led Hilary down the enclosed patio, carefully dodging the security cameras hidden throughout.

They suddenly dived into a thick bush as a squad of guards ran across the courtyard, shouting at each other in Russian to check all the rooms.

Silently, Kai pointed toward a chained link fence, with a large gate enclosing them on the abbey grounds.

Hilary nodded, understanding that that was the only way out.

Kai poked his head out of the bushes slightly, looking around for any signs of the guards.

"Okay...stay quite and head toward the gate." Kai whispered.

The brunette began to carefully make her way through the thick bushes, trying not to make much noise.

Suddenly, her hand connected with something hard, and she glanced down at the object with fear in her eyes.

"Kai!" She exhaled.

The blue haired teen looked over her shoulder to see a small metallic box on the ground, a red button flickering violently on the side.

Kai's crimson eyes widened with a gasp.

Just then, a loud alarm went off, and red lights began to pulsate throughout the abbey.

"Shit." He cursed in Russian.

Kai pulled the brunette to her feet and pushed her toward the gate.

"Run!"

The two quickly made their way out of the courtyard and toward the fence.

Kai quickly began to work the lock that kept them from freedom, sweat beginning to run down his bruised flesh.

"Stop!" A deep voice in Russian commanded.

The two fugitives swung around, only to be greeted by Tala and Bryan.

"Tala..." Kai exhaled, careful not to let his guard down.

The red head held a gun out to him.

"Our orders are to recapture you. Comply willingly and we shall spare your lives."

Hilary gasped as Kai pulled her behind him.

The blue haired Russian growled.  
--------------------

_Okay…_

_REVIEW please!_


	9. Escape to the Streets

**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!**

**Due to my own stupidity, this chapter was uploaded at the wrong time as Chapter 8.**

**One person pointed this out to me, and I had realized it all too late.**

**So I am VERY sorry about that!**

**When I deleted this chapter and put up the REAL chapter 8, people got confused.**

**  
I am VERY sorry about all this! **

But it is all on track now….thank God….

**Everyone's read this already, so I'm not expecting anyone to review, so don't feel obligated.**

**-----**

**Chapter 9 – Escape to the Streets**

"Our orders are to recapture you. Comply willingly and we shall spare your lives."

Kai growled, looking up at his red haired friend.

"Tala..."

His ice blue eyes narrowed slightly as he pulled out a gun shaped launcher. "Do as I say!"

Kai glared at his friend as he quickly revealed his own launcher and his Dranzer, ready to battle.

"Kai!"

"Stay out of this...I intend to keep what I said to you."

Bryan drew his own blade and prepared for battle.

"Stay out of this one Bryan...this is my job!" Tala barked, glaring over his shoulder at his comrade.

"Yes sir..." Bryan withdrew a few steps, keeping his launcher at the ready just in case.

"3...2...1..."

"GO!"

The two friends launched their blades into battle, fire and ice immediately swirling into a fierce storm.

"Wolborg!" Tala exclaimed.

The icy beyblade charged for Dranzer, only to collide slightly and circle around it.

"Wait a minute..." Kai thought to himself. "He's trying to..."

Crimson eyes glanced up into blue as the two beyblades spaced themselves out.

"I see now..." Kai smiled mentally.

"GO DRANZER! Fire emission now!"

"Wolborg! Counter it!"

The two beyblades collided once again, but the sheer force of the two attacks pushed the beyblades in opposite directions.

"Duck Hilary!"

Dranzer flew for the brunette, who dove for cover just in time as the cobalt blade dug into the metal lock across the gate.

The attack ring ground into the old metal, and soon the lock was destroyed, and the gate swung open freely.

"Now!" Kai picked Hilary up and grabbed Dranzer, running for the surrounding forest.

"Damn!" Bryan ran after them, Tala following slightly behind. "Don't let them escape!"

"Kai! What happened?" Hilary wasn't sure how the gate had opened. Everything had happened so fast.

"Tala...Tala helped us...he set up the whole thing to look like an accident!" Kai couldn't help but smile. His friend had put him in great risk, and Kai knew that he would have to pay him back someday.

"I don't think they're following us now!" Hilary panted, looking over her shoulder as they continued to run through the snowed covered forest.

"Good...but let's not take any chances. We can relax once we get to the streets."

The forest soon came to an end, and the two teens spilt onto the sidewalk behind a row of buildings.

Hilary fell down against the wall, panting for breath while Kai braced himself on his knees, trying to regain his energy.

"Are you alright?"

The Russian teen looked over at the younger girl, concern covering her face slightly.

"Yeah...I'm fine." He stood up straight, swallowing hard to wet his dry throat.

Once the two recovered, they walked to the front of the buildings and proceeded up the street.

"What are we going to do now? Shouldn't we go to the police?"

"No!" Kai nearly shouted. "No...too many in this city are corrupted by BioVolt. If we go to them, we will surely be returned to the abbey.

The brunette pulled her jacket closer to her as a cold wind whipped past.

After a moment of silence, the two walked into a residential area, large mansions lining one side of the street, while tall office buildings lined the other.

Proceeding to the opposite side of the street where the office buildings were, Hilary noticed a large brick mansion set upon a hill, gated in with a matching fence. Snow covered everything except a black mini limo which was parked on the street, waiting to pick up the owner.

"Hey Kai!" What about that house over there!" Hilary exclaimed, pointing to the house. "We can ask them for help!"

Kai stopped in his tracks and returned to the brunette's side, his crimson eyes widening at the sight of the stately mansion.

Hilary gasped as the front gate opened, and a large elderly man walked out, escorted closely by two men in black business suits.

The group proceeded over to a limo.

Hilary rushed forward. "Hey Can you help..."

Suddenly, she was pulled back against Kai, his cold calloused hand covering her mouth. He then ducked behind a dumpster, holding his breath.

The men looked over at the alley, then at each other in confusion.

"Forget about whatever that was...probably just some foolish children..." The elderly man bellowed, getting into the back of the limo.

"Good day Lord Voltaire." One of the men in a black suit closed the door, and proceeded back inside the mansion once the car pulled away.

After he was sure it was safe, Kai released Hilary.

"What did you do that for! They might have helped us!"

"We will find no help from him! In fact, we won't find any help in all of Russia!" Kai's tone turned dark. Hilary looked at her feet.

The blue haired teen sighed, feeling guilty for getting angry with the girl.

"Look...if we can find a way out of Moscow, I can get you back home...but it's too dangerous to trust anyone here..."

The brunette sniffed and rested her forehead against Kai's chest.

The older teen blinked a few times, before deciding to pull her into a gentle hug.

Her body heaved as she cried lightly into the torn fabric of his shirt.

"Shhh...I told you not to cry..." Kai, strangely enough, felt strong sympathy for this girl. She was scared, along in a strange land with complete strangers!

All she wanted was to go back home.

Inwardly, Kai knew exactly how she felt. He too had been taken from his family, and never saw them again. But he wasn't about to let that happen again! He was going to get Hilary home, even if it cost him his life!

"Thank you Kai..." Hilary had stopped crying and looked up into his crimson eyes.

She shivered as another cold wind past. "What now? We have to find someplace to stay!"

"Let's get away from here..." Kai scowled at the house on the hill.

Taking Hilary's hand, he led her down the snow-covered street, and into a new part of town.

The scenery was much different than the housing district they had just come from.

Buildings were crammed into every square inch, and reached up toward the cloudy sky.

"Looks like we're going to have to spend the night on the streets, but I know a safe place...if we can get there..."

Hilary looked up at Kai in disbelief, but decided it was better than spending another night in the abbey.

"Stay close..." Kai whispered. "It's dangerous to be walking around when the sun falls."

The brunette glanced across the street on her left.

Two men, both wearing rags as clothes, stared at her and Kai with lustful smiled upon their faces.

Hilary gulped, clinging to Kai's arm, knowing he would protect her from anything.

The older teen suddenly cursed, seeing that the two men began to approach them.

"Kai..."

"Stay strong..."

"Good evening kiddies!" One of the men exclaimed in Russian, pacing to the side of Hilary.

"What might such fine young blood be doing out this time of night?" The other man asked, his finger trailing Kai's chin.

His breath carried the stench of alcohol, and his touch made Kai's skin crawl.

"Back off!" Kai snapped back in his native tongue.

The man seemed surprised, but smiled at the feistiness of the young boy.

"Leave us be, and I may spare your pathetic lives!" The teen's threat fell on deaf ears.

"What a fine foreign lady here...heh heh heh." The second man chuckled, trailing his grimy fingers across Hilary's shoulder.

The brunette whimpered softly, squeezing her eyes shut and nestling closer to Kai.

"Hey! I said back off!" That was the last straw.

Kai lundged around and landed his fist in the man's face, sending him flat on the street.

"Hey!" The man's friend exclaimed, his lustful smile dropping to a frown.

Kai growled ominously, standing in front of Hilary.

The man flipped out a hidden pocket knife, ready to kill.

"Stay back Hilary."

"Kai! Don't fight him!" Hilary pleaded. She hated being the helpless one.

Without another word, the man lashed out at Kai, but the teen met him half way, grabbing his arm just before the knife was driven through his heart.

The two struggled for a moment, before Kai threw him down next to his friend.

The drunkards looked up at the blue haired teen in bewilderment.

Kai looked over to Hilary, and took her hand.

"Let's get out of here."

The brunette exchanged one last glance at the two men, before hurrying back up to Kai's side, grateful he had escaped the fight unscathed. The man with the knife growled.

"I'll show you..."

With a flick of his wrist, he threw the knife at Kai's back, hoping it would hit its mark.

As if hearing the blade slice through the air, the crimson eyed teen swirled around, his arm held defensively in front of him. The knife penetrated the red fabric of Kai's arm guard, and came to rest within his flesh.

With a grunt, Kai removed the knife and tossed it forcefully back at its owner. The man screamed in pain as his blade landed in his thigh.

"Kai!"

"Just keep moving!" The two teens quickened their pace, eventually escaping the moaning of their assassin.  
_----------------_

_Okay…now everything is on track again_

_Sorry for all the confusion!_


	10. An Unexpected Encounter

_Hey everyone...sorry for the wait_

_I've been EXTREMELY busy lately, so I won't be able to work much on these fics...so deal with it. I'm sick of getting reviews that only say that I need to update with in a certain amount of time because that person won't be able to read it or something._

_It's not my fault if you can't get to a computer...the fic will be there whenever you get back._

_Believe it or not, I do have a life, and a bunch of crap to put up with in my personal life, so yeah...sometimes I can't sit down and type something up. There are others authors out there that know what I'm talking about...(Phoenix-chan:) ) and frankly the impatient people that demand things of me usually never get it. I'm sick of it._

_So...please respect the fact that I do have more important things to do that update stories that I'm not getting paid to do._

_Enough of my ranting...here's the next chapter..._

----------------  
**Chapter 10 - An Unexpected Encounter**

The two teens slowed down to walk as they finally gained enough distance from the worst area of town.

"This way." Kai's sudden voice starled Hilary. Both of them hadn't said a word for a while now.

They turned into an shallow alleyway and sat down against a vent coming out from the building behind them.

Hilary let out a soft sigh as the warm air blew against her back.

Her attention was turned to Kai as he started to fiddle with his arm guard. She gasped, remembering that he had gotten stabbed in that last fight.

"Here! Let me help you!" She grabbed his arm gently and slid the guard off, revealing a small cut.

"I'm fine...it's just a little scratch." The blue haired teen said as she ripped off a little piece of fabric from her shirt and tied it around his forearm.

"It's still a cut Kai! I actually thought it would be much worse than this..."

"So did I...I guess this fabric is tougher than I originally thought..." He picked up the arm guard and examined the cut fabric.

"How did you find this spot? Warm air blows out...there's no wind..."

"When I was younger, I managed to escape the abbey with Tala. We nearly died out here...until we came by this area. We were lucky to have found it...and we ended up spending a couple nights out here before we were caught looking for food."

"What are we going to do tomorrow?" Hilary asked, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Heh...you ask a lot of questions." The older teen smiled. "Don't worry. I'll get you out of here...we'll get to the airport and you can hitch a ride on a plane to Japan."

"You're coming with me...aren't you?"

Kai looked at her, almost confused. "Why would you want me to come with you?"

"Well you can't go back to the abbey! And if you stay here...they're sure to find you!" Hilary started. "Not to mention that when they do find you, Boris will probably kill you for helping me!"

"But..."

"You can stay at my house! You can meet Tyson...even though he'll probably annoy the hell out of you...and Kenny...he's just a nerd...and Mr. Dickinson! He's in charge of the BBA and I'm sure he'll put you on the team. You're probably even stronger than Tyson!"

She sniffed at the memories, tears welding up in her ruby eyes. The brunette quickly rubbed them, not letting her tears fall. "And I...I don't want you to leave me..."

"Shhh..." Kai's arm reached around her and pulled her close. "I'm not going to leave you..."

Hilary grabbed the older teen in a tight hug, burying her face in his shoulder.

In his arms, she felt safe. She felt like nothing could hurt her, and all her troubles just melted away when she was this close to him.

Kai smiled after a moment, resting his head on top of hers. This was all a new experience for him, but for some reason, he decided not to fight his emotions.

All his life, he never knew what love exactly was, what it was like to care for someone so deeply that you would gladly give your life for them. All this had changed when Hilary was brought to the abbey.

Since the first time he saw her, he felt a strange emotion whenever he was around her. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about that girl struck him in his heart.

And though he was faintly aware of it, the walls surrounding Kai's heart were slowly beginning to fall.

---

Morning came almost too soon.

Kai awoke with a groggy moan, his body stiff and aching.

He surveyed his surroundings quickly, earning a few stares from people passing by on the street.

He tried to stand up, but realized that Hilary was still attached to him.

The brunette groaned, her eyes fluttering open.

"I'm sorry." Kai said, looking down at her. He couldn't help but smile at her sleepy appearance.

"Kai?" She blinked a few times. "Did we...survive?"

The blue haired teen nodded and coughed, the taste of blood filling his mouth.

Hilary was immediately concerned.

"I'm alright."

Suddenly, a gasp from the street caught their attention.

"Hilary..." The voice muttered in disbelief.

Kai jumped to his feet, hands balled into fists in preparation to fight.

The stranger was an older man, possibly in his late 50's. He was dressed in a grey business suit with a thick ankle length jacket. He had small glasses which rested on his nose, and his balding head was covered with a black bowler hat.

"My Lord...is that you Hilary!" The elder took a few steps closer.

"Back off old man!" Kai growled in Russian, narrowing his gaze at the stranger.

Hilary blinked a few times before recognizing the man Kai was about to attack.

She stood up and grabbed Kai's extended arm.

"Mr. Dickinson!" She exclaimed with surprise.

"You know him!" Kai seemed even more surprised.

Suddenly, Hilary rushed past the blue haired teen and threw her arms around the elderly man, who was laughing in pure joy.

"Hilary! I can't believe I found you! We were all so worried!" Tears were visible in his old eyes as he hugged the girl tightly.

Kai stood, somewhat stunned. He couldn't remember the last time he had been worried about, if ever. She must be really loved.

"What happened Mr. D?"

"Some men broke into the training center, and kidnapped you and two other boys! By our surveillance videos, we figured out that BioVolt was behind it. They've been the BBA's enemy for such a long time!"

"Have you found the other kids!" Hilary seemed really concerned.

"They're gone. Boris found them too weak, wiped their memories and sent them off." Kai's voice answered quickly.

"Yes...that's true. We found them not too long ago..." Mr. Dickinson turned to Kai, who took a shaky step backward.

"Oh! This is Kai Mr. D! He protected me through all of this!"

"Is that so! Well you have many peoples gratitude my boy!" The elder smiled at him, extending his hand in a friendly gesture.

Kai eyed the hand and looked over to Hilary.

The brunette nodded, confirming it was safe, and Kai slowly took the elder's hand in a shake.

"My God you're cold!" Mr. Dickinson exclaimed. "I'm surprised you two aren't dead after spending the morning out in this weather! Let's get you inside and cleaned up!"

With that, Mr. Dickinson lead the two down the street and toward his hotel.

Kai was pushed over toward a large burning fireplace in the center of the grand suite.

"Sit and warm yourself up!" Mr. Dickinson then rushed over to find some blankets.

The blue haired teen began to shiver violently as his body absorbed the sudden warmth.

The elder returned and tossed layers of thick blankets over his battered shoulders.

"Hilary get over here!" Mr. D sat the brunette next to Kai and covered her with some more blankets.

"Once you get warm enough, I'll let you two take a shower and clean up. I'll call a doctor about those wounds Kai."

"No!" The older teen snapped, glaring at Mr. Dickinson. "No...doctors." His teeth began to chatter slightly as he spoke. "I can take care of myself..."

The elder sighed. "Alright then Kai, but let me at least have a look at them."

Hilary glared at Kai as he was about to protest.

The blue haired teen sighed in defeat. "Fine..." He muttered.  
---------  
_Sucks...huh? It's random crap_

_Please review anyway_


	11. Confession of Love

_Alright...I'm still a little pissed from last chapter...actually, probably more so...so I have a lot to say in this update._

_It's not that I feel pressure from everyone that demands an update, it just really gets annoying!_

_Most of the people that do it either don't have a fanfiction account, or they do, but don't have any stories up! I'm sure they'd get just as pissed off as I do._

_And another thing that REALLY pissed me off is that fact that only a select FEW **actually READ** what I had to say last chapter._

_I like to think that when an author takes the time to type out something **BEFORE** the chapter actually starts, that something important needs to be said, and therefore the reader should take the time to read it. And yes, I can tell when people read it and when people don't._

_One person mentioned Kai was really OOC or something...I'm well aware of it...and if you look at any of my other stories, most of them involve Kai being OOC. I don't really care if he is or not at this point. If you don't like it...tough cookies._

_Well I'm just wasting my time writing down all this stuff...because I know only a few people (and I can name them) will read this. Usually it seems that only people will read an Author's Note is when they see their name in it._

_It's getting to the point where I'm taking even **LONGER** to update, not only because I have other things to attend too…but I kinda like pissing some people off. Yeah…all those people who demand things of me._

_I know it really makes no difference…but with my other stories people actually seem to be reading what I've said about this matter._

_**Special Thanks**_

_**Lunar Fire**_

_Thank you SOOO much for your review! I had just got through reading a few of reviews that demanded I update, so when I came to yours, I nearly jumped out of my chair to hug the computer! You actually weren't pressuring me at all, in fact, I look forward to reading your reviews! They have some meaning in them…rather than "Update!" or "Good chapter!" And they always make me feel great inside! so thank you for that! I hope you like this chapter!_

_**SOMEONE2003**_

_Heh...yeah that's usually how it goes, especially in my fics You'll find out about the people back in the abbey later. Thanks for the review._

_**Droopy1389**_

_Thanks for the review! And you're good too! In fact, I think your story is really cool! It's very well written...and don't you dare start an argument with me over it again! lol_

_**SeXyInOvAtIoN**_

_Thank you for the comment...I'm glad you like my work. Sorry to piss you off so much with my own comments about my chapters " heh heh...that's just who I am, and sometimes I say stuff like that whether I believe it or not._

_**N-Trance**_

_It was nice talking to you through emails for a bit! And thank you for the wonderful comments! Man...I think you have it worse with your friends demanding a whole costume from you in a week! That's tough stuff...(at least to me it is) :-P Maybe you should charge money for a rush job? LOL_

_**Wreckless Spirit**_

_LOL yeah...People just really can't get the idea that we have lives to live...things to do...et cetera. I guess we'll just have to put up with it until the day we quit putting things up on this site...or until we go crazy and kill ourselves_

_Alright...I'm done with my speech...here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!_

_----------_

**Chapter 11 – Confession of Love**

It had been well over an hour since Mr. Dickinson brought Hilary and Kai into his large hotel room. They had both been able to take a nice hot shower and wash off the grime from the abbey and the street.

The hotel they were staying in was top of the line. Mr. Dickinson had gone downstairs and purchased the two teens each a pair of pajamas from the lobby, along with toothpaste and brushes. He had also sent their clothes down to the laundry room to be washed and stitched up.

Kai had just walked out of the bathroom, wearing his pair of black pajamas. They were obviously too big for him. His pants trailed the ground, so he had to roll up the top of them just to keep him from tripping. The shirt was no better either. It kept slipping off to one shoulder, and revealed most of his upper chest.

Hilary nearly burst out in laughter seeing him, walking toward the couch rolling up his sleeves and cursing in Russian.

"That's a good look for you!" She snickered as he sat down next to the fireplace.

He shot a crimson death glare at her. "Do I look like I'm an XXL!" He grumbled, pulling up the collar again.

Mr. Dickinson's chuckle came from behind them. "I'm sorry…that's the smallest size they had in the men's style…I could go and exchange it for something in the girl's…."

Kai stared at Hilary. She was wearing a pink set of pajamas, with quarter length sleeves and Capri style pants.

He looked back at the elder. "I'll make do with this."

Room service soon came with dinner for the three. The elder tipped the man and brought the cart of food over to the table and began to set everything out.

"I didn't know what to get, so I ordered a bit of everything."

"Wow!" Hilary exclaimed. "Tyson would LOVE this!"

Mr. Dickinson chuckled. "I'm sure he would…and he'll be jealous too!"

They all sat down and began to eat. Hilary knew that Kai was just as starved as she was…if not more! She had gotten more food at the abbey than other people…and she was smart enough to realize it was because Kai was giving her his own meals.

He had picked out a bowl of soup and slowly began to eat it. Once the bowl was empty, he pushed it out in front of him slightly and opened his mouth to speak.

Hilary knew what he was going to say…but she wouldn't hear it. Before any words left his mouth, she pushed a plate of mashed potatoes, meatloaf and gravy under his nose.

The blue haired teen stared at it, then up at her.

"I know you're still hungry…so eat!" She smiled brightly. "A bowl of soup can't fill you up after days of not eating!"

"She's right my boy…you can eat all you want! You do look a little thin, so I want you to eat until you're full! You'll need the energy as well!" Mr. Dickinson stated from across the table.

Kai sighed in defeat and picked up a fork.

Dinner was over, and nearly every plate was clean. The two teens ate the most, and Kai surprised everyone by finishing the most plates.

By looking at him, Hilary couldn't believe that he ate nearly as much as Tyson usually does…but in a more polite manner. "I guess it's just a guy thing…" She told herself.

She now watched as Mr. Dickinson tended to Kai's wounds.

The teen had just taken off his huge shirt so that the elder could bandage the cut on his forearm and disinfect smaller cuts on his arms and chest.

"My word, what have you been through my boy!" Mr. Dickinson exclaimed as he went behind the teen and saw three long gashed across the teen's back.

Kai twitched slightly, the cold nipping at his sensitive skin.

The bleeding had stopped long ago, but the open cuts were red and inflamed, showing signs of an infection.

"I really should call a doctor about this Kai…you might have a serious infection here!"

"I don't_ get_ infected…even if I did it wouldn't have any effect on me." Kai snapped back.

"Well I wouldn't be so sure about that now…hang on, this may sting."

Kai shuddered as a wet cotton ball filled with peroxide touched the open wounds.

Hilary looked away sadly. It hurt just to watch! She knew now that he had been whipped. She remembered that Tala had told her that he was "busy" when he was really in the dungeon, coughing up blood and trying desperately to breathe.

His cough sent her back into the present. Mr. Dickinson handed him a glass of water.

"It's a good thing you ate as much as you did…it'll help you recover."

The brunette stared sadly at her feet as she walked silently over to the bedroom she was to share with Kai.

Opening the door, she disappeared inside, shutting out the painful sounds outside.

Ten minutes later, Kai was allowed to put his shirt back on and get ready to go to bed. He didn't even bother to button it closed, since there was really no point in doing it.

The blue haired teen walked into the room; only too find Hilary standing at the sliding glass door, staring out into the garden behind the hotel.

He heard a slight sob come from her as he walked over, and concern immediately gripped him.

"Is something wrong?" He moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Kai…" She quickly turned and threw herself into his chest, her body trembling as she tried not to cry.

"Shh…" He whispered, rubbing her back in a comforting manner. "What's wrong Hilary?"

"I've caused you so much trouble…and pain. If it weren't for me…."

"I'd still be in the abbey."

Hilary looked up at him.

"If it weren't for you…I would still be in that hell. I would be training non stop, day and night, sitting in my room dying of starvation or some injury. If it weren't for you…I would have no life."

The brunette looked down again, staring aimlessly at his chest.

"Hilary…" Kai brought her chin up with his finger to look her straight in the eyes.

"I regret nothing. I knew…from the first time I saw you…that I…" He looked away, unable to say the words.

"Kai…" Hilary whispered, catching his attention again.

With that, she planted her lips firmly on his, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.

The blue haired teen seemed shocked at first, but his eyes quickly fell shut and he returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

The kiss began to heat up as Kai forced his tongue into her mouth, exploring every inch of her.

They moved closer to the bed, not wanting to break the passionate kiss. Suddenly, Kai tripped on the leg of his pajamas and tumbled over, bringing Hilary down with him.

She giggled as they fell over onto the bed, Kai now under her. The older teen seemed slightly embarrassed, but pulled Hilary back on top of him and pressed his lips against hers.

The brunette moaned as her hips were pressed closer to Kai's, and her hands began to roam his body as if they had a mind of their own.

She brushed away the front of his button down shirt, which hadn't been buttoned in the first place, and began running her fingers across the tone muscles in his chest and abdomen, earning a soft moan rumbling from Kai's throat.

He ran his fingers through her thick chocolate locks, breathing in the scent of the strawberry shampoo that had been left for them in the shower.

"…Hilary…" He moaned in her ear as her hand brushed against the low waistband of his pants. The blue haired teen began to place kisses down the side of her neck, stopping to nibble at the soft flesh every once in a while.

Their lips found each other again, and a war for dominance began. After a few minutes, they parted, panting desperately for breath.

The brunette rested her head on Kai's chest, listening to his quick heart beat. It was beating so fast she thought it may burst!

He stroked her hair with one hand, while the other found its way to her hip. He nuzzled his cheek against her head and placed one last kiss on her forehead. "I love you Hilary..."

"I love you too"

Kai's eyes shot open, staring at the ceiling.

He was breathing heavily, and a small bead of sweat trickled down his tattooed cheek.

He wanted to get up, but found himself laced with a young brunette girl, her leg thrown over his hips and her head cuddled up on his shoulder.

Brushing a few stray bangs out of her face, he silently slipped out from under her, careful not to wake her up.

He got to his feet, and walked over to the sliding glass door, peering out into the night.

"What is this feeling?" Kai asked himself, running a hand through his messy two toned hair. He glanced back at the clock. It was almost 4 am.

Tossing off his huge shirt, which still hung open from earlier, he found his clothes on the dresser next to Hilary's. They had been washed, and folded neatly. Glancing back out the window, he decided to get dressed.

Buckling the last remaining strap of his arm guard in place, Kai proceeded back to the window, a sense of foreboding resting in his chest.

Suddenly, there was a black figure rushing behind a tree, then another.

Kai spun around quickly, hiding himself from view. His eyes were wide again, and panic was invading his mind.

"I stayed here too long…I should have just left her with the old man, but now they're in danger as well…" Kai thought silently, pressing his back up against the wall.

His crimson eyes flashed over to the sleeping brunette, unaware of the impending danger.

"I have to get both of them out of here…the old man will be killed, and Hilary might die during the punishment…and I promised her I would get her home." Kai's thoughts continued as he stared at the girl.

He sunk to the floor, the textured wall irritating his sore back as it ran across.

The blue haired teen sighed, closing his eyes in deep thought.

This whole escape had been the hardest he had ever attempted, and was much more complicated.

This time, he had others to watch out for.

His hand moved into his left pocket, clenching a cool object hidden beneath the fabric.

Recalling his hand, he relaxed his fingers to reveal a cobalt beyblade, its center glowing with a crimson fire.

"I'll need your help on this one Dranzer…"

The blade's glow brightened immensely, and Kai could almost hear a faint cry of approval from his bitbeast.

He smirked, squeezing the beyblade tightly and getting to his feet.

"Kai…" A faint murmur came from the occupied bed at the other side of the room. The blue haired teen treaded over to the bedside, bending over the sleeping form.

"Hilary…wake up. " He whispered in her ear gently.

The brunette rolled over to face him, a smile forming on her face.

Kai blinked, and resulted to poking her…she was lost in a dream.

"Hilary. Wake up!" His voice was louder. Just enough so to pull the girl back into consciousness.

"Huh? Kai! What's going on?" She asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"We're in danger…they've found us." He replied. "Hurry and get dressed. I'll wake the old man."

With that, Kai disappeared outside, closing the door almost silently behind him.

The crimson eyed teen proceeded toward the door at the other end of the hotel room and knocked gently.

"Come in." A faint voice answered.

Kai was surprised to find the elder awake as he poked his head inside the second bedroom.

"Oh, hello there Kai! Are you feeling alright? You really should get some…"

"Mr…D…ickinson…" He interrupted, trying to recall the man's name. "He's found us…I need to get Hilary out of here. if you value your life, come with us."

The elder seemed shocked and stood from his desk, walking over to the window and pulling the curtain to the side.

"I don't see anything…"

"Then they are already inside…" Kai pivoted on his heel and headed back to the room he and Hilary were sharing.

"Wait a minute Kai…" Mr. Dickinson grabbed the teen's shoulder gently. "We'll use my car."

Kai glared at him, his expression questioning the elder silently.

"We won't be able to get out of Russia with only a car…"

"I know that…but I can probably have a helicopter over here within twenty minutes."

Crimson eyes narrowed as he suddenly shrugged of Mr. Dickinson's hand.

The elder met his glare with kind eyes. "You can trust me Kai…"

After a long moment of silence, the teen sighed. "Alright…fine."

---------

_Okay…sorry for the long rant earlier…but it needed to come out one of these days._

_And like always…I'm experiencing computer problems. I've written most of this story out already, and it's nearly finished…but I have to find a way to transfer it from the bad computer over to this one._

_  
Though I do want to hurry up and finish this fic…I don't want to murder my wrists trying to copy down every chapter by hand…I'd rather move the files and stuff…(like most lazy people would probably want to do) so **be patient!** Please! (sigh)_

_Alright then…the chapter is over…please review and tell me what you think!_

_Lots of fight scenes to come!_


	12. Flight and Fight

_Hey everyone!_

Yes, this story is STILL alive! Sorry it took so long! As everyone else, I've been really busy and stuff. And plus, I have a slight case of writer's block with my other stories.

As I said sometime before...probably last chapter...the action will pick up now. Things just kind of start up here, and take off at full speed.

Hopefully it doesn't go too fast...

Anyway...

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews last time, and here's the next chapter!

Enjoy if you can!

**Special Thanks**  
**  
Jani Rieme -**  
WOW! Thank you so much for your review! I LOVE long ones! Anyway, I'm really happy to hear that you think this story is too good to correct...that's far from what I think of it personally...lol...I'm sorry that you were made fun of when you reviewed that person...that was harsh of him...but I assure you, you can share your feelings in a review to me anytime and you will not be made fun of! And I agree with you...Kai is fairly hard to keep in character. His character type in the anime is similar to my own, but I don't stay the same every day, and I'm sure Kai reacts differently in each situation. And as someone has told me, it all depends on how the story is set up, and the events that happen. Anyway...thank you soooo much again! I'm so happy you like this story!

**Lunar Fire **  
I'm glad my comment made you feel better You deserve it! And I have to agree with your comment about people thinking Kai's OOC. Character will certainly change in different situations. And lastly, it is MUCH better to complain and get it out in the open...I think I'm starting to like it too much! lol. Hope you like this chapter!

**Wreckless Spirit **  
lol don't worry about ranting in reviews to me I enjoy them actually. People who are obsessed with things being a bit OOC really need to find a life...I'm sorry...but that's how I feel right now. If a character couldn't be taken a little out of his normal behavior, every fic would have the same plot...probably...

------------------------------------------------------  
**  
Chapter 12 - Flight and Fight  
**  
Kai's fingers gently caressed the cool metal of his beyblade deep inside his pocket. He knew that he was in the fight of his life at this moment, and there was no turning back now. He had made a promise, a promise to the only person he truly loved, and he would rather die than to break that promise.

The air in the hotel room had become stale and heavy in a matter of seconds. The blue headed teen had stationed himself directly in front of the door, his left ear pressed intently upon the paneling, listening for any outside voices.

He took one last glance back into the room, where Hilary and Mr. Dickinson were waiting for him to give the "all clear" signal. The elder seemed terrified, not having to deal with anything like this in his past. Hilary, on the other hand, had a strange aura of peace about her. She knew deep in her heart that they would all get out safely, especially after what she and Kai had to go through just to get here!

Kai nodded at them, and they nodded back. With that, he stood up, making sure that his launcher was securely tucked into the back of his jeans, and reached for the door knob.

Just then, a sickening creak echoed from outside, causing the three to freeze in place.

They were closer now than Kai had originally thought. He muttered a curse under his breath, and once again pressed his ear to the door.

"Get ready..." He started. "Things will happen very quickly from this point on."

Mr. Dickinson had his cane in his hand, ready to strike at anyone that got close enough.

Hilary had absolutely no defense for herself, and the others knew it. She felt helpless, and definitely didn't want to bother anyone...she had already inconvenienced Kai as it was. She figured if she had to, she could put up a good enough fight to hold someone off for a bit. "Heh..." She chuckled mentally. "I guess all that time whipping Tyson around will come in handy after all!"

Suddenly, her gut flipped upside down as she heard Kai slam the door open, and a cry of pain echo from the hallway.

Kai burst out of the room, pulling the door around on its hinges once again and drove a dark shadow into the adjacent wall.

He released the door and took a step back to admire his action. "Out cold...good." Crimson eyes glanced up at Hilary, who just realized she was the only one still inside the room.

"Come on." He extended his hand to her.

With a short smile, Hilary grabbed it and soon felt herself being half dragged through the hallway toward the stairs. She managed to sneak a glance back at the door the had just left, a limp foot sticking out behind it.

Kai had a sneaky suspicion that Boris was watching them somehow. He knew that this hotel had security cameras in the stairways and elevators, and in the lobby, and he was sure that their flight from the room hadn't gone unnoticed.

Suddenly, he skidded to a stop, nearly ramming into Mr. Dickinson. The elder had nearly avoided a bullet to the head as they reached the top of the stairs, three men from the abbey at the bottom.

They shouted to each other, and possibly to others throughout the lobby.

"Damn...we were so close!"

"Kai!" Mr. Dickinson hissed. "The parking garage is at the other end of the hotel! How many men do you think are after us?"

"There's no way to tell until we face them all." The teen replied. "We should split up. If you can get to the car and meet us out front, I'll hold these guys off."

The elder nodded and glanced at Hilary. The brunette nodded. "We'll be alright Mr. D! Just be careful!"

With that, Mr. Dickinson took off as fast as he could, drawing the attention of the two enemies approaching the top of the stairs.

"Go Dranzer!" Kai jumped out from behind the corner and launched his beyblade, disarming the two of their weapons. Calling his Dranzer back to his hand, he leapt off the top stair and collided with one of the men, using him as a surf board and descending the stairs.

He heard the other two curse. "They split up!"

"Find the girl!" One commanded as he jumped down the stairs for Kai.

The blue haired teen dodged a fierce punch and slammed his knee in between his enemy's legs.

The man let out a howl of pain and collapsed onto the floor, twitching slightly.

Kai smirked to himself and ran for the stairs to help Hilary, but another scream of pain echoed from the hallway. "Hilary!"

The brunette appeared with a victorious smile on her face. She brushed off some imaginary dust from her hands and stepped over the kneeling form of another BioVolt lackey.

"Heh...don't worry about me!" She said as she rejoined the older teen on the lobby floor.

Kai walked off cautiously to get a good look around. He thought it was weird that the hotel seemed lifeless, not a soul walking around, or even employees at the counter.

Suddenly, a muffled cry erupted from the front desk, and the two teens rushed over to investigate.

A young woman, in her mid twenties, had been bound, gagged, and stuffed under the desk in a small alcove.

"Oh my God! Are you hurt?" Hilary bent down and began to untie the ropes around her arms.

Kai took the gag out of her mouth. "Who did this to you?" He spoke in Russian, his voice just above a whisper.

"There...there were these men!" Her voice was shaken and panicky, in fact, her whole body was trembling in fright. "They came in and captured everyone in the lobby...they...they took them toward the back and locked them in a spare room!"

"How many were there?"

"I...I don't know...a...about...seven?" She grabbed a fistful of her hair in despair. "But there were more outside!" She glanced over at the black van, parking half way on the curb.

"It's alright now." Hilary tried to soothe her, but she knew that the woman couldn't understand her.

Kai stood up. "Stay here and keep quiet. We're the ones they're after, so they'll leave once we do."

Suddenly, deep Russian voices sounded from the other end of the lobby as three men came in. They appeared to be talking casually to each other, but saw Kai behind the counter.

"There he is! Shoot him! Shoot him!"

Gunfire erupted in the hotel lobby. The receptionist screamed as bullets rattled against the front side of the desk, providing a decent cover for them.

Kai reached for his beyblade and launcher again, not sure how it would fair against bullets, but he had to get those guns out of commotion!

There was a pause in the fire as the men approached the desk in stealth formation. Hilary grabbed a silver bell from the counter and launched it at the closest enemy.

It rang loudly as it hit the man in the face.

"Dranzer!" Kai called out, releasing his blade at the other two. Just as before, their guns fell onto the floor, and they recoiled in pain as the blade ripped across their hands.

"Damn you!" One of the men made a dive at Kai, catching his legs and slamming him to the ground.

The teen grunted in pain as his skull crashed against the hard marble floor. Soon, he felt himself gasping for breath as a large hand squeezed around his throat.

"Get...offa...me!" Kai croaked, his own hand plastered against the bigger man's face, trying to push him off. His vision started to blur, and his lungs burned inside his chest for air.

He heard Hilary scream somewhere to his left. He managed to turn slightly to see what was going on.

"Let me go!" She screamed, clawing at a thick arm around her chest.

"Just knock her out already!" The remaining man said, still holding his head from where the bell hit. "Here...let me do it..."

"Get away from me you freak!" The brunette screamed, kicking her legs as far as they could go. She was amazed to find that her right foot had contacted with the approaching man's groin, and he buckled over onto the floor.

"Alright! Two in a row!" She cheered mentally.

"Vlad, you weakling! Get up already!" The other man growled, struggling to hold the girl.

She heard a cry of pain from the other side of the room, and saw Kai slowly being strangled to death. His pale flesh had a purplish-blue tint to it now. "Kai!"

Kai's hand was groping around blindly for something useful, but finding nothing. He brought his knee up into his enemy's chest repeatedly, but only to find that he was wearing a thick, bulletproof vest for some reason.

"You...little..." The pained man on the floor had regained his footing, and grabbed Hilary by the throat.

She let out an airy cry of pain, the man's strong hand threatening to snap her neck.

"Dran...zer..." Kai managed to call his beyblade, still spinning near the base of the reception desk. He extended his hand at Hilary and the man strangling her, and the faithful beyblade shot off at full speed, digging into the man's hand.

The brunette dropped to the ground, coughing as fresh air entered her lungs.

Dranzer bounced from the man's hand and hit the corner of the desk, rebounding at the other man who was approaching Hilary again. The cobalt beyblade hit him square in the forehead, and he fell backward unconscious.

Once the teen had regained her breath, she rushed over to help Kai, paying no attention to the other man tending to his hand.

"Let him go!" She cried, jumping on top of the Russian and pulling him off Kai slightly.

The blue haired teen let out a long gasp and immediately began coughing, holding his bruised throat.

"Gah!" Hilary exclaimed as the man easily regained control of the situation and pinned her against his body.

"Foolish girl, you actually thought you'd get away from Lord Boris!"

Suddenly, Hilary felt his body go stiff. She craned her neck to look up at him, and found that his dark eyes were clouded over, his mouth slightly open.

His grip on her was released, and she scrambled away just as he fell face first into the floor.

Kai was standing behind him, holding the man's gun in his hand. He had hit him in the head with the butt of the weapon, instantly knocking him out.

"Are you alright?" His voice was soft and rough, and he immediately coughed again.

Dranzer sped over to her master, and he bent down to retrieve his blade. It had definitely been roughed up during this fight, he just hoped it would hold up.

Suddenly, a car horn sounded from outside.

Hilary rushed over to the lobby door and peered into the twilight.

The blue haired teen looked at the gun in his hand. He shuddered at the thought, but knew that it might come in useful later. Walking over to join Hilary, he turned the safety on, and stuffed it deep into his pocket.

They watched as a black car sped around a corner, headed straight for the lobby entrance.

"Hilary! Kai!" Mr. Dickinson's voice sounded as he blew on the car horn again. The black sedan squealed to a stop, but not before ramming into the back of the van parked in front.

"And I thought old people always drove too **_slowly_**!" Kai said out loud, staring at the small accident.

"You alright Mr. D?" Hilary asked as she jumped in the back seat. Bullet holes had penetrated the side of the car in a choppy line.

"Save the chitchat for later and floor it!" Kai shouted, slamming the door as he climbed in.

A couple of other BioVolt soldiers were running down the street toward them, shooting at them in attempt to hit someone.

The sedan peeled out, leaving the hotel in its dust.

"Sorry it took so long for me to get to you..."

"Are you hurt!" Hilary asked, concerned for the elder. He was more like a grandfather to her and the whole team than anything else.

"I'm perfectly fine Hil. Just a few scratches, and a broken cane..." He seemed sad as he mentioned his old cane. "What about you two?" He glanced at the two teens through the rearview mirror. Both had bright bruises around their throats, and were definitely roughed up a bit.

"Speed it up a bit..." Kai suddenly stated, looking out the back.

The black van Mr. Dickinson ran into was now right on top of them, trying to run them off the road.

The car was shoved violently to the side, and Mr. Dickinson fought hard to keep it from running into a newspaper stand on the corner of the street.

The two cars parted for a moment to dodge around a few cars before the van rammed into the sedan again. The elder stepped on the accelerator and got in front of the van.

"Try to keep it straight. I'll get them off our tail." Kai pulled out the black automatic pistol from his pocket and opened the sunroof.

"Where the heck did you get _that_!"

The blue haired teen's scarf fluttered in front of his head as he poked it out of the sunroof. It wasn't too long before a rain of bullets were fired, and Kai was forced to duck back inside.

Hilary screamed as the back window shattered as the bullets hit, and the two teens took cover in between the two rows of seats.

Kai hissed in slight pain and touched his cheek, feeling fresh blood seeping through his fingers.

"Kai!" Hilary reached out to him, her voice full of concern.

"It just grazed me. I'm alright." He waited for the fire to cease, and popped back up, gun at the ready.

He held it as steady as he could, aiming for the front left tire. His finger squeezed the trigger, and a loud bang sounded. Hilary's hands immediately went back to her ears, feeling as though all the gun fire would blow out her eardrums.

The pursuing car's remaining tires squealed against the pavement as the driver swerved to keep it under control. Kai re-aimed the weapon and fired another round, hitting the other front tire.

There was nothing the driver could do to keep the car on the road. The top heavy vehicle swerved to the left, and toppled over on its side.

"Yes!" Hilary cheered.

"Where did you learn to shoot like _that_!" Mr. Dickinson's eyes were wide in surprise in the rearview mirror.

"You learn a lot of things when living with Tala." Kai replied with a smirk.

---

The black sedan proceeded down the streets of Russia silently for about 20 minutes. Everyone inside was beginning to relax slightly, not having anyone following them for a good while now.

Kai had fallen asleep on the back seat, Hilary leaning heavily against him. The blood from the cut on his cheek had stopped, but a trail of it caked his pale skin all the way down to the base of his neck, staining the white scarf around his shoulders.

"Where are we now?" Hilary's voice asked, just above a whisper.

"We're nearly out of Moscow. The airport is about 30 more minutes away though." The elder replied, bringing the car to a halt at a red light.

They waited in silence for a moment, with only the soft wheezing sounds coming from Kai as he slept. All of a suddenly, a violent jerk shoved the car forward into the middle of the intersection.

Kai and Hilary were thrown into the front seats. Kai cursed, the impact instantly awakening him.

"Hold on!" Mr. Dickinson shouted, a horn from a truck blowing as it quickly approached them.

The elder put all his weight onto the accelerator, and the car sped forward to the other side of the intersection, the truck barely brushing by the back bumper.

The two teens were thrown backward, but Kai managed to catch himself this time.

"Not again!" Hilary exclaimed, looking out the busted window in the back. Another car was hot on their trial, but this time it was a some kind of SUV, bright lights glaring into their eyes.

"It's Boris!" Kai's crimson eyes narrowed in anger as he reached for the gun.

The SUV was nearly touching the sedan's bumper now, and Kai fired the weapon at the windshield, shattering it instantly. 

That only staled the driver for a moment before it was back on them, bumpers nearly touching.

Kai could see the glaring red lenses coming from the passenger's seat, and he quickly re-aimed his weapon.

"Die Boris!" He yelled out in Russian, finger squeezing the trigger.

A gunshot rang out. Hilary was sure that Kai had fired, but was quickly corrected when she watched the gun drop from his hand and slide off the back of the car.

Kai reeled back in pain, clutching his left hand as blood poured from his knuckles. He hissed in pain, wrapping the end of his scarf tightly around the wound.

Hilary tried to help, squeezing his hand as tightly as she could to stop the blood. She guessed that the bullet that was fired from the pursuing car was still lodged somewhere in his wrist.

"Damn it..." Kai knew that his left hand was now useless to him. "Only Tala could shoot like that..."

"Tala!" Ruby eyes glanced back at the SUV, now ramming into the back of the sedan, willing it to spin out of control. "That means...!"

"Speed it up old man!" The older teen shouted over his shoulder.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" The elder cried. "We're running low on fuel, and it's getting hard to control!"

"How far away are we from the airport!"

"About 20 minutes now!"

"We won't make it unless we can lose them!" Hilary cried.

"We won't lose them...Boris is in that car!" Kai replied, ripping a fourth of his scarf off and securing it around his bloody hand. "We'll have to ditch this car! It won't take much more!"

"We're gonna die..." The brunette curled her legs up to her chest and hugged them. "We're gonna die!"

--------------------------------  
_  
(flops over) Phew! I'm tired now!_

Hopefully this chapter came out alright...I wrote it in one setting, so I really need a break now!

So yeah, please review!


	13. Trapped

_Well, hello everyone!_

I actually updated within a reasonable time this time! Hee hee! (cough) Well, I really should be writing this blasted paper for school...but I just don't want to. Hopefully this will come out alright though. I kinda sped through it, I think, so yeah.

This story is getting hard for me to write. I've already taken out a bunch of things that I wanted in here...so hopefully everything isn't going super fast and appearing rushed. That habit of mine keeps popping up! Curses...

So anyway, thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I'm pleased to see that a lot of people really enjoy this story, and even more pleased to see that many people thought the last chapter was "awesome" ! Thank you all so much!

**Special Thanks:**

**storm-of-insanity**  
I guess what I meant when I wrote that is that even though she didn't have any defense for herself, she was still at peace, because she knew nothing bad would happen. (shrugs) I don't know, but thank you for the review! I can see how that was contradictive! I tend to do that sometimes heh heh.

**Sadoko **  
lol! I like your words! Hopefully this was quick enough! Thank you so much!

**vamina12 **  
Aww...that's too bad! People should LOVE getting meaningful reviews, like me! They just can't handle it I guess...(shrugs) Well, feel free to leave whatever review you wish with me, it won't get thrown back at you, unless you start demanding things of me in a threatening manner ' As I've already told you...I think...you are a wonderful, talented person, and especially at your age! Don't think otherwise! And thank you for sharing your wonderful art with me! (hugs) just awesome! 

**SOMEONE2003 **  
Well...not really. You'll find out in this chapter why he's doing that though. And yes, people should notice cars chasing and shooting at each other, especially the police. I purposefully left those details out because one, I was tired, and two, I thought it would be a little too much. I'll go with "everyone's too scared of Boris to get involved". ' heh heh...(cough)

Okay! On with the story...

Enjoy if possible...  
  
---------------

**Chapter 13 - Trapped**

Hilary had lost it by now. The traumatic events that had been occurring had finally taken their toll on her. She was now scared for her life, probably for the first time since the incident with Black Dranzer back at the abbey.

Boris' black SUV continued to ram into the back bumper, shifting everyone inside around uncontrollably.

"Hilary! Hilary!" Kai shook the brunette gently by the shoulders, hoping to knock her out of her sudden trance.

"He's going to kill us...He'll win!"

"He's not going to kill anyone! You hear me! Snap out of it!" Kai growled. If this had been Tala, or someone else from the abbey, he would have knocked sense into them the hard way. But this was Hilary, someone who wasn't used to this sort of thing. Deep inside, he was actually amazed she had lasted that long.

"Kai..." She looked up into his crimson eyes with tears seeping down her cheeks.

"Shh..." He pulled her to him in a warm embrace. "I won't let him take you back...we're going to make it!"

Meanwhile, Mr. Dickinson was busy trying to keep the car on the road and talk on his cell phone at the same time. Kai couldn't really make out the conversation, but he could guess that he was arranging for the helicopter to pick them up elsewhere.

Suddenly, the sedan swerved violently to the side, sending the two teens against the door. Kai grunted as his back came into contact with the door's handle, but shook it off.

"You alright?" He asked, looking down at Hilary.

She landed on top of him, and didn't appear to be injured, but she seemed more shaken up that moments before.

The car had stalled, and the pursuing SUV came to a halt behind them, men dressed in black jumping out and surrounding them.

"Stay strong Hilary...I won't let them touch you." The blue haired teen's voice seemed to calm her down.

"Heh heh heh..." A familiar laugh haunted the midnight air. "Thought you could get away now? I'm impressed you made it as far as you did. As you well know, Kai, no one escapes from the abbey and gets away."

The teen snarled at the voice, as if it had brought out a dark beast inside of him. Quickly, he surveyed his surroundings from inside the car.

They were on a peninsula adjacent to a long bridge, the very bridge that would have led them to freedom. Icy waves crashed up against the side of the cliff behind them, and the only way to get to the bridge was through Boris and his men.

"Damn..." They were definitely trapped. They would have to fight again. He just hoped that Boris hadn't brought too many of his lackeys along with him.

Kai pulled himself up and braced himself on the back of the front seat.

"Where's our ride out of here?"

"The helicopter will be here as soon as it can, but what are we going to do until then?" The elder was starting to panic as Boris got out from the SUV and slowly took two steps forward.

"We'll just have to keep them busy..."

Kai kicked open the side door and stepped out, standing straight in front of his enemy.

"Well well...finally decided to stand and fight?" A smirk crossed Boris' face. "It's not like you to run from a fight."

"Let the others go free...they are of no use to you. Hilary has failed your test!"

"Only because you wouldn't let her finish! I'm not about to let my plan go down the drain..." Boris paused as the car door was opened again. "Are you going to fight BioVolt young Kai?"

The teen only glared. It was a stupid question on Boris' part, since Kai had never been one to obey anything from the time he was practically born.

"I see..." The purple haired Russia sidestepped revealing the figure that had just stepped out of the van.

Both Hilary and Kai gasped at the person before them.

"I knew you were here..." Kai stated, stealing a quick glance at his bleeding hand. "What's going on Tala!"

The red head said nothing, he only stared at his old friend with evil in his icy blue eyes.

Hilary couldn't understand it. Kai had said that he had helped them escape, why was he trying to take them back! 

"Recapture him Tala." Boris' simple command was all that was needed to put some sign of life into the red headed Russian.

Tala dashed at Kai, his arm raised back to strike.

The blue haired teen only had mere seconds to react as his friend began attacking him, throwing punch after punch, all aiming at vital or weak areas of his body.

"Tala! Snap...out...of it!" Kai panted, dodging another onslaught of punches. "Fine! Be that way!"

The teen suddenly fell to the ground, swinging his right leg out to knock his friend's feet out from under him.

The maneuver was successful. With an angry gasp of surprise, the red head fell backward, flat on his back. But before Kai could blink, Tala had kicked up his feet and landed them firmly in his jaw.

"Kai!" He could hear Hilary cry from the car.

Kai was now laying in pain on the snowy ground, a trail of blood running out of the corner of his mouth. Tala's kick had forced him to bite into his tongue, and soon his whole face was aching with a dull, throbbing pain. "Damn it Tala..." He growled, glaring at his old friend as he approached.

Struggling to his feet, the blue haired teen spit out the blood pooling in his mouth and clenched his hands into fists. "Forgive me...my friend..."

He jumped out at the red head and landed a fierce punch across his face, instantly knocking him back a few steps.

Tala growled, his icy blue eyes flashing in anger. He retaliated with another set of punches, but never hit his mark.

Finding an opening, Kai landed two straight punches in his face, followed by a round house kick to the side of the head.

Tala went flying, landing on the hood of Mr. Dickinson's broken sedan. He hadn't been knocked out, but it appeared that all his energy had been depleted.

Tala's body was shaking violently as if he were struggling against something.

Boris cursed loudly. "It had failed again. Take him back and run more tests."

Two men got out of the SUV and dragged the red head down from the car and back into their SUV.

"What have you done to him?" Kai yelled out, anger filling his voice. "What did you do to him you bastard!" Tala was stronger than that, he was just as good as Kai was in combat, so why did he beat him so easily!

Hilary could hear the pain in his usual strong voice. The fact that his friend had been forced against him really shook him up deep down.

"It's really ironic, isn't it my young Kai? A friend helps you escape, only to turn around and try to take you back...and after all the trouble he went through...all in vain!"

The blue haired teen growled, an evil glare piercing through the red lensed goggles staring back at him.

"I do hate it when you look at me so...we'll have to fix that as well." The evil Russian motioned over to the teens and Mr. Dickinson with a nod of his head.

"Damn..." Kai bounded over to the car, sliding over the hood and throwing open the door. "Get out! NOW!"

The elder and Hilary had barely left the car before gunfire rained down on them. The three ducked just in time as bullets clattered against the side of the car. 

It appeared that only two of the men were carrying the guns, which surprised Kai slightly, but was thankful Boris hadn't brought more weapons and men along.

There was a pause in the fire and Kai took the opportunity to launch his beyblade at one of the armed men, just as he had done before.

The man squealed in pain as Kai leapt over the side of the car and landed in front of the still armed man. He swung his leg around, disarming his enemy and followed with a quick jab to the side of the head.

"Fools! Get him already!"

At Boris' words, two of the men went for Kai, while the other went for the elder and Hilary.

With a loud cry, Kai shoved his knee against his enemy's chin and quickly swung around to do battle with the other two. A quick round house kick sent one flying into the man that was still recovering from Dranzer's attack, and with them out of the way for now, Kai focused on the remaining one.

He was better than his peers were, and was able to keep up with Kai's swift attacks.

"Boris went easy on us...that means he wants us alive..." Kai thought to himself, dodging a punch aimed at his stomach.

The man jumped at Kai again with a fierce cry. The teen stumbled at his speed but managed to roll out of the way just in time. Before Kai could attack again, the man swung a leg around and clipped him on the side of the head, sending him face first into the cold ground.

"Stay back!" Mr. Dickinson's voice filled Kai's ears.

"Step aside old man!" The soldier commanded, grabbing Mr. Dickinson's arm roughly.

He tried to throw him out of the way, but the elder swung his free arm around and whacked him upside the head.

It had no real affect on the Russian, but it distracted him for a moment, allowing Hilary to jump up on his back and wrap her arms tightly around his throat.

"Let him go!" She yelled in his ear, croaking sounds coming out of his mouth. She didn't have the strength to snap his neck, but she was getting pissed off with everyone trying to kill those she cared about, and it was giving her the strength to keep going.

Kai groaned in pain as the man's thick fingers grabbed a handful of his slate colored hair and pulled him up off the ground.

"Surrender already." He commanded, his hot smelly breath brushing against the teen's neck.

"Never..." With that, Kai slammed his head backward, shattering the enemy's nose on impact.

He was dropped, and Kai rubbed the back of his head as the man staggered backward, tripping over another BioVolt soldier Kai had already dealt with. The teen groaned in pain. Boy, was he going to have a headache in the morning.

He glanced over at the commotion taking place near the totaled sedan. Mr. Dickinson and Hilary were now beating the hell out of the man that had tried to abduct them.

He staggered over to them. It didn't appear that they needed any help though.

"Hilary!" Kai called out as he got closer. 

The brunette let out a battle cry and swung her arm around at the voice.

Kai's reflexes kicked in as his left hand reached up and caught the punch. "Damn..." He hissed in pain, forgetting that that hand was already injured badly.

"Kai!" Hilary seemed to be back in reality now. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize!"

"Once you get going, you can't stop huh?" He smiled down at her. "Remind me never to cross you!"

"Heh!" The brunette blushed slightly. "Your hand! That looks bad! I'm sooo sorry!"

"AAAAHHHH!" Another voice screamed.

The two teens jumped backward as the man that had been disarmed by Kai's beyblade landed a punch in the ground where they had just been sitting.

"Get Dranzer for me! I'll take care of him!" Kai yelled out.

Hilary nodded, and rushed over to search for the blue beyblade.

The thumping of helicopter blades soon pierced through the sound of battle in the night sky.

"It's about time!" Mr. Dickinson cheered, flagging the chopper over with his arms.

"Damn it!" Boris cursed. "Hurry and finish this! They must not get away!"

"Ah hah!" Hilary had spotted the cobalt blade in a patch of snow. It had been heavily damaged and appeared that it would fall apart at any moment. "I'll have to have Kenny fix it up for him..."

Suddenly, someone yelled at her in Russian. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the last conscious man get up and run after her. With a short gasp, she began running as well.

The helicopter was now close enough to the ground, and Mr. Dickinson had already climbed on. He had his hand out for Hilary as she ran to him, the BioVolt soldier hot on her tail.

The brunette reached out for the elder's hand and grabbed it. He pulled her quickly inside and ordered the chopper to lift off.

"Wait! Kai's still down there!" She yelled at the pilot.

"We'll come back down for him, don't worry." Mr. Dickinson said. "We just can't let that guy..."

The elder didn't need to finish his sentence, for the chopper dipped slightly to the side as someone grabbed onto its landing gear.

"I'm too old for this!" He exclaimed.

"Get off!" Hilary cried, kicking her foot out at the man in hope it would hit something.

It was useless. He just kept climbing. The brunette thought it wise to recall her leg in case he would grab onto it and pull her out.

It was then that she noticed the helicopter raising higher into the air, and Kai still hadn't gotten on yet! The man had now reached past the landing gear, and was attempting to pull himself on board.

"KAI!" Hilary screamed. "Hurry!"

The teen glanced over his shoulder to see that the helicopter was already about 10 feet in the air, one of Boris' men dangling out of it. Hilary was busy trying to slam her foot against his fingers, but he was still holding on despite the pain.

Kai quickly punched the man he was fighting out of the way, and ran over to the car. With a grunt, he sprang up on top of the roof and leapt with all his might, reaching for the chopper.

The man that Hilary was trying to throw off suddenly disappeared. She glanced over the edge and saw that he had been pulled down to the landing gear by his ankles.

"Kai!"

"Get off me!" The man yelled in Russian, kicking his feet to knock the teen off with no effect.

Slowly, the exhausted teen began climbing up the man's back, and soon he was neck and neck with him.

"Hilary!" He called, "Did you get it!".

"I have it Kai!" The brunette replied, showing the blue haired teen his beyblade.

Kai sighed in relief. "I knew I could count on you!"

The man took advantage of this moment, and landed a punch in Kai's face.

With a growl, he retaliated by planting his knee in the man's gut. "Get off the damn helicopter!"

He was still hanging on though, as Kai started to climb further up. He was now able to stand on the landing gear, giving him a better position to get the enemy off.

"Sayonara sucker..."

With that, Kai landed the sole of his shoe in the man's face, sending him flying back down to earth.

"Kai!" Hilary cheered, throwing her arms around him as he climbed into the chopper stiffly.

He let out a sigh and smiled at her. "You alright?"

Before she could reply, the chopper swerved violently to the side. Kai slid out of the open door before he had a chance to grab onto something, and found himself falling through the air.

Suddenly, a blur of white caught his eye, and he reached out and grabbed it, nearly missing the end of it. It was his scarf! Hilary had managed to throw it out after him in hope that he would catch it.

She let out a startled scream as his weight began pulling her out as well, but she held on nonetheless. Mr. Dickinson rushed over and grabbed hold of the scarf, helping her pull it back.

"What happened?" Kai's mind felt like mush right now. He was too tired, and he could already feel his grip slipping. He wanted to grab onto it with his other hand, but it was now useless to him...he couldn't even move his fingers anymore.

He glanced down at the ground, immediately wishing he hadn't. Not only were Boris and his remaining men fifty feet below him, but they were also armed, and firing at the fleeing chopper. The smell of fire suddenly filled the teen's nose, and he saw that the tail had been shot, and was beginning to smoke slightly. "So that was what caused the helicopter to jerk like that..."

"Kai! Hold on! We're going to pull you up!" Hilary yelled down over the roar of the rotating blades.

"FIRE!" Boris' voice could barely be heard as he ordered another attack.

More bullets rang out against the hull of the chopper. Kai felt something sharp against his arm, but it didn't seem to register that something had grazed him.

The chopper swung around violently again, but managed to keep its passengers inside.

"Get him inside! Now! We can't stay here any longer!"

-----------------------------------  
_  
Please review!_

I know that there are a lot of things wrong with this chapter, but I'm too tired to go back and read it all...  



	14. Live for Me

_Hello everybody! _

Thank you sooo much for the wonderful reviews last chapter!

_Sorry to disappoint…but this is probably one of the worst chapters I've written… _

Now, here's a little test for everyone reading this. A while ago, I decided that I wanted to end the story in a certain way (which will happen in this chapter). But after a few discussions with a couple of my friends, I thought I should make a sequel, because MANY people would hunt me down and murder me once they see what I do. So I have a question...would you like to see this story continue, should I stop, or should I post a sequel? If I DO continue the chapters with this story, I can guarantee that it will be LONG! And I know that some might not like the idea of a fic that has over 30 chapters. So I'm leaving it up to you all...just tell me what you think in a review!

But of course, if you don't read this...you probably will think this is the last chapter. Yes, I guess you can call it evil...but I want to see how many people will actually read my note this time!

This chapter is a bit rushed...and like...zero questions are answered. I'm sure I'll be flamed, but oh well...so I apologize for the stupidness of this chapter...it just kinda...ends. I hate it!

Alright, so with that said, here's the next chapter!

Enjoy if possible...

**Special Thanks:  
**  
**Droopy1389 **  
LOL! Thanks so much! (hugs) you're the best!

**ghostymangarocker **  
Thanks! I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not though ' I'm glad you liked it! I think my fight scenes are bad though (shrugs) Thanks for the comment!

**Ying-yang Angel **  
That's a good idea! I'm tired of writing chase scenes though...you'll see what happens ' You seem to never be out of ideas! Do you have any for my other stories? lol

**Lunar Fire  
**I don't think I mentioned their ages...and I'm too lazy to go and check. I'll have to get back to you on that one though...because I'll have to think about it. Yes, this story is going to lead up to season one, though quite a few things will probably be different (if that isn't obvious). I've heard of that movie, and want to see it, but haven't found the time. From the previews I've seen of it, it looks really good! So now that you have said so, I will definitely have to see it! Naw, rambling doesn't bore me at all! Don't worry about it! I LOVE getting reviews from you! I really appreciate what you have to say! That's why when I reply it's usually the longest! ' Heh...now I'M rambling! Thank you sooo much for the review!  
----------------------------------

**Chapter 14 : Live For Me**

"Get him inside! NOW! We can't stay here any longer!" The pilot yelled into his headset, looking back into the chopper.

Kai was tossed around slightly as the pilot brought the chopper back into control, his grip slipping to the tail end of the battered scarf.

"Don't give up now Kai!" Hilary's voice caught his attention as he gazed up with glassy crimson eyes.

"Come on Hilary!" Mr. Dickinson grabbed the scarf and began pulling, and slowly, Kai was hoisted up to the open door.

Suddenly, more bullets ricocheted off the sides of the helicopter, and one bounced back and tore through the white fabric that kept Kai from falling to him doom.

The fabric frayed quickly, and soon the end Kai's fingers were clenched around ripped, and he began to fall.

"No! Kai!" Hilary reached out to him just as he managed to grab the landing gear of the chopper.

The helicopter swayed violently to the side at the sudden weight, and the pilot tried desperately to control it.

The blue haired teen let out a hoarse breath as the impact forced all the air out of his lungs. He watched his legs dangle below him for a moment before his strength left his exhausted arms and he slipped off, holding on with only his hand.

"Hilary…" His voice was barely audible over the noise of the engine. He suddenly went into another coughing fit, heaving for breath.

"Kai! Grab my hand! Come on!" The brunette screamed, watching as his fingers began to lose their grip.

Another bullet came from the ground, nearly hitting Hilary in the head.

"I can't! I'll pull you down!"

"I don't care! Just grab my hand! Hurry!"

The blue haired teen smiled sadly, knowing very well that it was impossible. "I am sorry…I won't be able to keep my whole promise to you, but at least you can live free…" He coughed again as Hilary already started to protest. "Live a life for me…and never forget…that I love you!"

With that, Kai's grip was lost completely, and he began to fall through the cold, snowy air.

"KAAAAIII!" Hilary screamed, tears pouring down the sides of her face.

She wanted to jump out after him in a desperate attempt to catch him, but Mr. Dickinson pulled her back.

The helicopter pulled to the right, heading to the east and out of the gunners' range.

"No! Go back! We have to save him!" The brunette cried out, trying desperately to claw her way out of the elder's grip.

She managed to catch a sight of Kai as he plummeted toward the ocean. A smile was plastered on his face, and he was staring up at her.

"I love you Hilary…" His voice rang through her mind.

Suddenly, the blue haired teen disappeared under the dark waters with a large splash.

"KAI!" The brunette finally gave up her struggle, and curled up on the floor of the helicopter in despair, heaving sobs of hot, heavy tears.

Mr. Dickinson closed the door, wiping away his own tears and returned to Hilary's side, wrapping a thick blanket around her as she cried.

"Kai!" She wailed, pounding at the flooring weakly. "Kai!" The brunette screamed into the air. Her voice suddenly failed her, and she was reduced to sobbing loudly against the floor.

Suddenly, two warm arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders, pulling the girl into a comforting hug. "Shh...It's alright..."

"No it's not Mr. D!" She screamed through her tears. "Kai's dead! He said he would come home with me! He PROMISED!"

She just couldn't understand why...why did he leave her? Why did he give up!

The helicopter continued to the east, following the early morning sunlight. The brunette's voice was completely worn out by her screaming and crying, and she could only sit, curled up on the floor heaving dry sobs into her knees.

"We'll be arriving soon sir. ETA…8 am." The pilot stated.

Hilary noticed a small object roll under her legs, its metallic finish glowing in the light.

She reached out and grabbed it, bringing it close to her.

"Dranzer…" She sniffed loudly. "You idiot…you left Dranzer too!"

The beyblade gave off soothing warmth in her hand. The sudden heat startled her, but she held on.

The teen looked down at the center of the blade, to see Dranzer glowing magnificently back up at her, as if trying to give her strength.

"Kai..." Closing her eyes, she held the beyblade close to her chest and drifted off into a deep, dark sleep.

The darkness faded into a hazy fog, surrounding everything in sight.

Hilary glanced around nervously. "Where am I?" Her voice echoed in the vastness.

She turned to her right, and gasped. "Who's there!" A dark figure had appeared in the distance.

The teen began walking timidly toward it, the figure becoming clearer with each step.

Suddenly, a fierce wind blew past her, forcing the mist to scatter.

She gasped, finally recognizing the figure before her.

"KAI!" The brunette smiled widely, waving her arm in the air as if to call him over.

The figure never moved. Instead, he picked up his right leg and began to walk away from Hilary, not even passing a glance over his shoulder.

"What the heck Kai!" Hilary yelled after him, yet he didn't stop. "Hey!" She began to run after him.

She was only a few feet away now, and she reached out to grab him, but suddenly, the blank world around her seemed to freeze, except for Kai.

"Kai! Don't go!" She reached out for him, but didn't appear to be getting any closer.

"Hilary..." His voice was misty as he glanced over his shoulder and stared at her with lifeless crimson eyes.

"KAI!" She jumped at him, her arms extended.

Her fingers grasped the fabric on his back, but suddenly slipped through. The brunette soon found herself sliding through Kai as if he was an apparition.

His form suddenly disintegrated like a cloud of smoke, and floated around her.

"NO!" She found herself falling straight to the darkness below her.

"NO!" Hilary jerked upward in a flash, her chocolate bangs clinging to her face as she panted desperately to regain her breath.

She collapsed back onto the fluffy bed below her with a sigh, staring up at the white ceiling with wide ruby eyes. "Kai..." She muttered, fighting the tears forming once again.

Despite her efforts, hot trails of water began running down her face, mingling with her tangled locks around her head. "No...it can't be true..." She threw her arms over her face and heaved in a long breath as more tears fell.

Moving her arm slightly, she was able to examine her new surroundings, somewhat curious by the odd sounds in the room.

She was in a hospital now. The helicopter must have landed sometime after she had fallen asleep. A couple machines lined the wall behind her, monitoring her pulse and feeding her medicine through an IV.

Her adventures in Russia had definitely taken a toll on her body. She was dehydrated and a bit underweight, not to mention extremely exhausted.

Sudden voices caught her attention from the hall outside.

"You said that the young man she was with was lost, correct?" It was a doctor, she could only guess

"She watched him fall..." Mr. Dickinson's voice replied, his tone solemn.

"She's no doubt mentally stressed by that. I'll give her some mild medication in case she breaks down. But just make sure that her friends and family are all there to support her during this time."

"They will...but doctor? How long will she be like this?"

"It's hard to say. A broken heart like that could take a long time to heal, but then it all depends on Hilary..."

"I understand. Thank you doctor."

She quickly wiped her eyes and face of water as the door opened and Mr. Dickinson appeared.

"Oh! You've awakened!" He smiled joyfully at her. "How do you feel?"

"Tired." She tried to hide the fact that she had been crying, but it didn't go unnoticed as her voice cracked.

The elder smiled sadly and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Here...I thought you might want this..."

He placed a scruffy, white cloth in her lap...what was left of Kai's scarf.

The brunette gasped as she held it gently, feeling the rough patches of fabric mixed in with softer ones. It had been washed gently, but some dirt and blood remained. It didn't really matter to Hilary though.

"Thank you Mr. D." She smiled up at the BBA manager.

"Oh, and this as well!" This time, he motioned to a roughed up blue object sitting next to her on a nightstand.

"Dranzer!" She had forgotten about it.

Its metallic finish gleamed in the sunlight coming through a partially opened window.

The site of the master-less bitbeast nearly sent her into another crying fit, but she managed to hold it in as her attention was quickly directed to the door once again.

A nurse walked in, a happy smile plastered across her face.

"You're awake! Wonderful!" The nurse's smile beamed down at the teen. "Eat this when you want..." She placed a tray of food on the nightstand next to the beyblade.

"And let's get some more light in here..." The nurse stated, pulling open the curtains and opening the window.

The brunette grimaced at the suddenly brightness but quickly adjusted.

"Oh! I almost forgot...there's someone here to see you..."

Before the elder could even finish, a navy haired boy burst through the door, followed by a short brunette with a computer clutched to his chest.

"Tyson! Kenny!"

"Hey Hilary! How are you doing? It's great to see you!" Kenny exclaimed.

"We heard about everything when you were taken! Are you alright? They didn't do anything, did they?" Tyson began his barrage of questions.

"I'm alright Tyson." Hilary smiled at her friend, giving him a tight hug. "I'm glad to see that you're alright!"

After giving Kenny a hug as well, their peace was interrupted by a loud gasp.

"What an awesome beyblade!" Tyson gasped, seeing Dranzer on the nightstand.

"It's not mine Tyson..." Hilary replied solemnly.

"You should let me fix it up...I'm sure he'd like it." Kenny said softly, nodding slightly at his friend.

Ruby eyes seemed to smile at the small boy. He had always been the smart one, and he probably already knew about the events that had happened in Russia.

"Thanks Kenny...but I'll have to think about it." She wanted that beyblade just as it was, as if Kai could come back and get furious that someone tampered with his Dranzer. The brunette smiled at that thought.

"We were really worried about you Hil...we thought that you were gone for good!" The navy haired blader exclaimed. "And when we saw the news when those two kids that were kidnapped with you came back, we got even more scared!"

"Everyone thought that you would have your memory wiped clean as well!" Kenny added.

"Who knew a girl would be the blader that whoever was behind this was looking for!"

Suddenly, Tyson cried out in pain and Kenny kicked him sharply in the shins. The navy haired teen jumped on his left foot while holding the other.

Hilary couldn't help but giggle and the scene. It had been so long since she had seen her friends, and the everyday stupid things Tyson would do. It comforted her inside to know that she was now home, safe and sound...just like Kai had promised.

The door was opened once again, but this time the nurse stepped in again.

"I'm sorry, but you all need to leave now. Hilary needs her rest."

"Alright Hil...we'll come back and see you tomorrow!" Tyson waved at her before following Kenny back into the hall.

"Bye guys!" She waved back, smiling slightly as the door closed.

The brunette let out a heavy sigh and hung her head.

"You're going to be okay...Kai made sure of that..." Mr. Dickinson's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Hilary stood from her bed, wrapping the torn scarf around her neck and breathing in Kai's everlasting scent. She prayed silently that it would never fade, for fear that she would forget him.

She went to the window, and peered out into the clear blue sky, fluffy white clouds clustering about in the distance.

"He didn't love me Mr. Dickinson…if he did, why didn't he grab my hand! Why did he let himself fall? Why did he leave me alone!"

"For him to protect you through all of this…he must have loved you more than you could ever imagine! There is no greater love than for someone to lay down their life for the person they truly care for."

Hilary sniffed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her sleeve as fresh tears began to form.

"I can't answer your questions as to why he did it…but you know what I think?"

"What?" Hilary sniffed again, unable to stop her tears.

"I think he knew that he couldn't come back with you. I think his only goal was to get_ you_ out safely. He was your guardian angel, and you were his light in a dark place…and he isn't going to leave you alone." The elder placed a comforting hand on her small shoulder. "…I bet he's watching you right now."

The brunette felt more hot tears running down her cheeks. She turned around and threw herself in Mr. Dickinson's arms, crying into his shoulder.

"Thank you Mr. Dickinson...I think you're right." She pulled away and gazed back out the window. "I bet he's watching over us all."  
-----------------------  
_  
Yeah, like I said...it just kinda...ends...and questions weren't really answered...I probably should have taken more time to write this...stupid school! _

And I killed Kai! (gasps) that's a first for me! Sorry people, but I wanted to do it at some point...

Please review and tell me what you think!


	15. A New Beginning

_Alright._

_As I said before, I'm continuing with this story, but sadly I've kinda lost the will to actually write it. I'm trying though...hopefully it won't bore too many people...or get everyone riled up again. _

_I'm not necessarily a fan of long stories, but I will keep going. Just a heads up, I will get annoyed with it, and that will only start to increase with anymore threats._

_Oh! By the way, I take the word "kill" very seriously, joke or not. Not many people know that though, but still...I don't know many people who would find it funny...and I **definitely** don't take it as a compliment._

_And I'm glad to know that people really like this fic and some think it's like...super awesome and stuff. It makes me beyond happy to know that, but seriously people...just because other good stories aren't updated as often as you like **doesn't** give you the right to threaten the author! Have you ever thought that they might be taking **extra** time to make it even better **for you**? We have lives too you know, and the last thing a person wants is extra stress put on them to update something that they don't even get paid for! _

_All I'm asking for is patience and a bit of respect! For me, and all the other authors out there that are treated this way._

_If you **really** want to know what's going on when a story you like isn't being updated quickly enough, try emailing the author first **before** making blind threats. Unless you are a close friend of the author, you probably will never know what's going on in there life! (Well...that is unless they come out and tell you). I know other authors out there don't appreciate the impatience of readers, just like I don't. _

_Remember people...this **is **supposed to be fun for **all** of us! It's not my **job** _to update this fic as fast as I can! I have a lot to deal with, and many things that need to be done! I started posting things up here so I could learn how to become better at writing, not to serve everyone that happens to like what I do! 

_I'm really sorry for the lecture again...I know everyone is sick of it, and I am too. I didn't come here to lecture people about virtues and what have you..._

_**Special Thanks:** _

**_storm-of-insanity_**

_Yeah, that was exactly what I was planning on doing :) Thanks! Hopefully this "party" won't get slow and boring then! lol!_

_**silent-lucidity** _

_Yeah, it's supposed to be fun, but some people don't understand the meaning of the word "hobby". And thank you so much for the comment! I'm glad you think I've gotten better since that story. heh heh :) Hopefully I'll improve some more! _

**_SOMEONE2003_**

_Heh...I really like that quote! And yes, I totally agree with you. Threats are very juvenile indeed. And no, you probably will never tick me off, for you actually read my notes and stuff, and leave **meaningful** reviews behind, like very few others. I really appreciate it! Thank you! _

**_Lunar Fire_**

_Thank God someone understands! I really respect you, you know? I appreciate all the things you have to say. Thank you sooo much!_

**_Moonlight-Sama_**

_True, but getting reviews that only tell me to update gets old too. I was only scolding the ones that were most impatience with things, especially after I explained what was going on before the chapter started. I hold nothing against the people who were polite though. It's just that many of the reviews I receive aren't so polite, and that's what gets to me after a while. But I do respect your opinion, and no, I wasn't offended by what you said. Thank you for the review!_

_Alright, enough of this...here's the next chapter._

_Enjoy if possible..._

**Chapter 15**

Hilary Tatibana laid motionless on her bed, listening silently to the news coming from her small TV in the corner of her room.

It had been three months since that day in Russia...the day she lost the one she loved.

It had been hard on her especially, not only having to deal with all the school work she had missed, but also keeping up with Tyson and Kenny as they formed their beyblade team.

They had added two more members...well, Mr. Dickinson actually added them. Max Tate and Rei Kon, both from different countries originally. Max's father owned a popular hobby shop not too far away, and Rei was from China, having come to Japan to study different forms of beyblading.

The BBA manager saw their talents, and approached them about teaming up for the World Championships, now only about three months away. They had agreed, and had already begun training with Tyson at the gym. Now they were all the best of friends.

Hilary refused to go there anymore. It had taken her a while to go out anywhere without an escort to make sure she wasn't going to be kidnapped again, but going to the place where her nightmares began was just too much.

She had met the new team members only a couple of times before, but she had really wanted Kai to be there with them. He was better than all of them, and he would have made an excellent captain. Tyson was now looking for one though. They needed one more member to complete the team, but that was easier said than done.

The navy haired blader had asked Hilary to be the fourth player, but she was hesitant about the idea. She decided to be a manager though, knowing she couldn't possibly be good enough in time for the championships. And the only beyblade she had was Dranzer, which was still in a horrible state. She refused to use it for anything though, not wanting the masterless phoenix to become angry.

Something on the news caught her attention suddenly, and she shot straight up from her bed, staring intently at the small black box.

_"The results from the Russian preliminaries has finally come to a close! Just as everyone suspected, no one is a match for the reigning world champs, the Demolition Boys!" _The reporter announced cheerfully. _"The team has been reformed, due to the former captain not being able to participate, but the new captain has proved just as skillful!"_

The camera focused in on a red headed teen, glaring off to the side.

"Tala!" Hilary gasped, rushing over and sitting on her knees in front of the TV. Something had definitely changed about him, and not for the best either!

The whole team was lined up in front of Boris, each scowling at the camera as if it were a vicious animal that was about to attack.

Hilary gasped. They were all there...the four boys that she had seen when she first arrived at the abbey, Tala, Ian, Brian, and Spencer, but something was wrong...something had changed about them, and not for the better. It couldn't just be the loss of Kai...there was something deeper, darker going on inside.

_"Sadly, we did have to replace a member of the team, but he's a quick study. We will have no problems winning the championship again this year." _

Boris didn't seem nearly as sad as he intended to, Hilary noticed. If she wasn't for Tyson and the BladeBreakers, she would be cheering the Russian team on, but Kai had been the reason the Demolition Boys were her favorite team last year! She had been obsessed with the team, secretly hiding it from Tyson. But he had found out before she was kidnapped. She remembered that day well...and with everything that she had witnessed, she no longer wanted to support anything that BioVolt's foul stench on it.

She realized her thoughts were drifting, and quickly shook her head to get back on tract. She especially remembered Tala, and he looked even more evil than the day he tried to stop her, Kai and Mr. Dickinson from escaping BioVolt's wrath.

Kai must have realized that as well. He had been upset, and now it was all made clear. Each of those boys had been experimented on in some way!

"I wonder if that's what they were trying to do to me!" She wondered out loud.

Boris' voice interrupted her thoughts once again as the reporter questioned him_. "Yes it is true, Kai Hiwatari won't be joining us for our victory, but Tala here is just as gifted as a leader. I am not at liberty to reveal what has happened, but to all our enemies out there..."_

The pause drew Hilary's attention closer to the television, Boris' cold eyes staring straight at the camera as if glaring directly at her.

_"You will stand no chance against us!"_

She quickly switched the TV off, not wanting to here any more.

The brunette curled up against the side of her bed, wrapping her arms around her as if she were cold.

"Kai...why did you have to leave?" She snuggled into her arms, wishing they were his.

How she missed those strong arms around her, that warmth, that smell...all those things that made her feel safe, like nothing in the world could hurt her when he held her like he did.

That was all gone now. He had left her as the sole witness to BioVolt's fury. There was a sinister plot forming in Russia, and it was up to her and Mr. Dickinson to figure out what that was before someone else got hurt.

She silently wondered if that was the reason Max and Rei were called in to join up with Tyson. They all had bitbeasts, special ones apparently. Did they hold the power to defeat Boris at his own game?

Gasping at the time, she jumped up and grabbed her shoes and bag, rushing out into the hallway of her home and down the stairs.

"I'm going to Tyson's! Be back later!"

---

"Hey Hilary!" A raven haired teen greeted her as she walked into the backyard of Tyson's dojo.

"Hey Rei! How's it going?"

"Alright I suppose...We've been practicing since noon."

"Wow...so for only 10 minutes?"

"Yeah..." The Chinese blader gave a cheesy smile, rubbing the back of his head. "We had some issues this morning..."

As if on que, Tyson burst out from the house, a donut in his mouth with three others in his hands.

"I won 'em far and squar!" He yelled through the pastry.

"Liar!" A blonde teen yelled after him. "You kicked Draciel away!"

Tyson swallowed what was in his mouth. "Yeah right Max! You're just jealous!"

Hilary cleared her throat loudly, stomping her foot on the porch.

"Ut oh..." Tyson turned around slowly. "Hey there...Hilary!" He smiled nervously.

"It's about time you got here! Tell him to give me back my donuts!" Max yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the pastries in the navy haired blader's hand.

"You should be practicing for the preliminaries! Not donuts!" The brunette yelled, swiping the food out of his hand and walking off toward the kitchen.

"My breakfast..." The blonde pouted as Hilary put them away.

"You guys are hopeless!" She sighed, returning outside.

"Come on Ty...let's go!" Rei exclaimed, showing his beyblade at him with a challenge. "Let's see how you do against the new and approved Drigger!"

"No fair Chief! Did you make him a new blade!" Tyson whined.

"Why don't you save practice for later? We have to find our fourth team member!" Kenny replied.

"That's right! We will be disqualified from the Championship even if we win the prelims!" Max added. "Does anyone have an idea?"

It pained Hilary to talk about this, but she hid it well. It needed to be done, despite what had happened.

"It would be awesome if we could find the fourth sacred beast! We'd be unstoppable!" Tyson exclaimed, looking up at the clouds.

"No kidding. But we'd have to search every beyblade in the world until we found it!" Max stated.

"Not necessarily..." Kenny spoke, as a matter of factly. "Using the signals emitted from your bitbeasts, I've been able to locate it!"

"Are you serious!" The three bladers exclaimed at once, all wide eyed in disbelief.

The computer geek nodded. "It's somewhere in Japan, but that's all I know. I won't be able to get a definite lock until its owner calls it."

"That's awesome Chief!" Tyson exclaimed, throwing his arm into the air. "Those Russians won't stand a chance!"

"You just better find it before they do!" Hilary's voice stated solemnly.

"Yeah, there's no telling what they'll do!" Rei replied.

"No worries! Dragoon will put them in there place! And we'll get revenge of you and Kai...'kay Hilary?"

"Tyson..." The brunette smiled sadly.

"Alright! Enough of this! Let's get out there and find our captain!"

----------------------------

_Yeah, I know that was a bit shorter than my more recent updates, but oh well…_

_Hopefully it wasn't too bad…nothing much will be really happening for a while._

_Please review!_

_Oh, and by the way, this will probably be my last rant for awhile. It's all out now, and I can finally start to relax a bit :P!_


	16. The Search Begins

_Hello everyone!_

_Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews last chapter! They really made me feel better!_

_  
And guess what? I'm not going to rant in this update! HURRAY! (cough)_

_Sorry it took a while to update…I have most of this story written out already, I just have to fill in the gaps._

_Oh, a warning to everyone! This story is going super fast! I'm not sure how either, but it's just happening. It's a bit fast for my liking, but if I slow it down, it'll just bore the daylights out of people, so I'm just letting it go._

_Um…I think that's about all I have to say!_

_So enjoy if possible!_

_**Special Thanks:**_

_**Wreckless Spirit**_

_Yeah, I know they don't mean it, it's just that immaturity really annoys me. And obviously if they meant it, there would be no way of them actually finding me! Thanks for the comment!_

_**SOMEONE2003**_

_Wow, that was probably the best review I've gotten in a long time! Thank you so much for that! As for the fate of Tala…well, you'll have to wait a bit more for that. But it really shouldn't be too long, considering the pace I've taken with this story. It's going to be over sooner than I expected._

_**Lunar Fire**_

_Thanks! I hope others think that as well!_

_**storm-of-insanity**_

_Yup, it appears that way. LOL Hopefully it will be the last though. People have seemed to get my point now, and have stopped for the moment. And I've really cooled down since then. _

_**Ghostymangarocker**_

_Thanks so much! I've already done that with all my other stories though, and I have a goal to finish all of them before I graduate high school….which really isn't going to happen. People have finally started to understand though, so hopefully things will be going smoothly from now on._

_**Vamina12**_

_LOL! Well hopefully that'll get their attention if it comes to that!_

_**Personne du monde**_

_Thank you sooo much! That really means a lot to me!_

---------------------------

**Chapter 16 - The Search Begins**

"Why don't we split up? That way we can each look in a different part of the city!"

"Sounds like a great plan Hil...but let's not search the warehouse district...I don't want anyone from there being the captain!" Tyson snarled.

"What's wrong with people down there!" Rei seemed offended at his friend's words.

"They're all crooks down there...they all beyblade for money or parts...stuff like that. We can't trust anyone there."

"All right, fine! We'll look everywhere else then!" Hilary pulled out a city map, and each member of the team began picking out the places they would search.

"Okay, so Rei will take the parks, Tyson will take the docks, Kenny and I'll take the shopping district, and Max will take the beach." Hilary stated.

"Hey! No fair! You get to go shopping!" The navy haired blader pointed an accusing finger at the two brunettes.

"It's a big district Tyson!" Hilary started.

"And I have a few errands to run anyway, but you know how many bladers hang around there!"

"Chill out you too..." Rei broke in.

"Let's go already, before everyone goes home!"

With that, the bladers broke off and began their search.

---

Hilary let out a miserable sigh as she fell back on the couch in Tyson's living room.

They had gotten back only about five minutes ago after searching the whole shopping district, with absolutely no luck!

Kenny was busy in the kitchen, organizing all the various parts he had purchased on the way.

Hilary threw her arms over her face and let out another sad sigh. The whole search had stirred up bad memories for her.

Suddenly, the door opened again, and Rei and Tyson walked in.

"Hey guys!" The brunette sat up and smiled at her friends. "Any luck?"

The two shook their heads sadly.

"It looks like we're going to have to figure out a new plan..." Rei started.

"Well, Max hasn't come back yet, maybe he found someone!" Tyson replied.

The group waited for about an hour and a half, with no sign of their blonde friend.

"Ugh!" Tyson exclaimed. "What's taking him so long?"

"Should we take this as a good sign?" Rei asked everyone in general.

Hilary only shrugged, while Kenny was too busy to even care.

Suddenly, the front door opened with a slow creak.

"Hey look! Max is back!" The navy haired teen bounded off to the front.

"Let's hope he had some luck..."

Tyson rushed over to greet his best friend, but as he got closer, he could tell something was definitely wrong.

"Max?" The navy haired blader asked, concern etching his voice. "You alright?"

The blonde's cheerful smile had disappeared, and a cloud of gloom lingered in the air.

"I...I thought I found someone, but..."

By this time, Rei, Hilary and Kenny had joined them.

"What happened!" Rei exclaimed. Max seemed to be roughed up a bit, but there was something deeper.

Silently, the American extended his hand to his friends, causing a collective gasp.

"Draciel...he totally trashed Draciel!" The youngest blader seemed on the verge of tears.

"It's alright Max! Look! Draciel is fine! I can fix this up for you in a jiffy!" Kenny exclaimed, taking the broken blade gingerly out of its owner's hand. "Wait a minute! Where's your base!"

Max's shoulders began to shake at those words. His hands curled into fists at his side. "He...he took it!"

"It's okay. Let's get inside and talk about it..." Hilary said solemnly, giving Max a comforting hug.

---

"I thought he would be perfect, but I found out that he was bullying little kids and stealing their beyblades...and I couldn't let him get away with it!"

"So you challenged him..." Rei started.

"...and he defeated me miserably..." The blonde hung his head in shame.

"Don't worry about it Maxie! He hustled you! We'll get him back for that!" Tyson exclaimed.

"Yeah! We'll get your base back too!" Hilary added.

"Thanks guys..."

"Looks like we'll have to put off our search for a bit..." Rei stated, standing up and stretching.

"Maybe we'll run into someone on the way!"

With that, the BladeBreakers left the dojo and headed down the street toward the beach, where Max last saw the mysterious blader.

Max, Kenny, Hilary, Rei and Tyson arrived at the beach in fifteen minutes.

"Well...this is the place alright..." Rei started, bending down to examine dark skid marks across the street.

Hilary had found pieces of Max's blade in the sand near the shoreline.

"Looks like he ran away..." Tyson said, looking around in all directions.

"Oh well...thanks anyway guys. We should start our search for our next team mate now."

"No way Max! That can wait! No one steals my friend's blade and gets away with it!" Dragoon's master exclaimed.

Suddenly, a scream echoed through the area. "AHHHH! Help me!"

"What the..."

"Come on!" Rei yelled as he rushed off in the direction of the scream. "Looks like he's down this way!"

The team found themselves headed for the warehouse district, a place they had wished they wouldn't find themselves. Though they were in a group and could easily defend themselves, it was a place that you definitely didn't want to get stuck in.

They quickly found the source of the scream. A young boy was sitting on the ground in front of a huge, broken down cannery, his tears raining down on the concrete.

"There he is!" Max pointed at a shadowy figure standing in front of the boy, a dark laugh erupting from his throat.

"Nice try kid. Thanks for the blade!" The figure pivoted on his right foot and began to walk away.

"Hey! You!" Tyson shouted.

The figure stopped, and glanced over his shoulder.

"He's a little kid! What the heck is wrong with you!" Hilary shouted, kneeling down next to the boy and trying to comfort him.

"Ah...I suppose you are the good Samaritans huh?" The figure spit out whatever he had been chewing on and tossed a large back a few feet in front of him. "I'm a collector of sorts...this kid knew what he was getting into when he started!"

"He hurt my sister! I...I had to get him back for that!" The boy burst out in tears.

Rei growled, his pointed teeth glimmering in the sun. "You're disgraceful!"

"Am I now?" The figure chuckled. "That's exactly what your friend said." He pointed a thick finger at Max. "I suppose you brought you friends here to challenge me for your base, huh?"

"He didn't bring us anywhere! You messed with a BladeBreaker, so you mess with all of us!" Tyson shouted, readying his Dragoon.

"How amusing..." The figure dug around in his pocket for his blade as well. "I'll just have to demolish your blade, too!"

"Let it rip!"

The two released their blades and immediately began their onslaught.

"You can take him Dragoon!"

"Amateur...you can't defeat my blade! It has all the best parts!"

And indeed, it did! Nothing on the blade matched, and the BladeBreakers all recognized the blade's base.

"That's Draciel's!"

Tyson growled. "How dare you..."

The stormy blade suddenly rushed for its enemy, slamming into its side and throwing it back a few feet.

"Impossible!"

"I will defeat you!" Dragoon rammed into the mix-matched blade, shattering its attack ring.

"No way!" The blade collector gasped, falling to his knees as his broken blade came to rest.

"I'll be taking this..." Tyson bent down and grabbed the base, tossing it over to Max. "Hey kid! Go find your blade!"

The little boy seemed overjoyed. "Thanks so much!" With that, he ran over to the forgotten sack and dug through the various parts.

The collector growled as he got to his feet. "You'll so pay for this!"

"Oooo...I'm shaking in my boots!" Tyson wiggled around, trying to pretend his was shaking.

"Knock it off Tyson!" Hilary yelled, walking up behind him and hitting him across the head. "You won already, let's go!"

The group turned and began to walk away, when something else caught their attention.

"B...b...boss!" The collector exclaimed as a dark figure appeared on the roof.

Tyson cursed under his breath. No one wanted another fight.

The figure jumped from the roof of the cannery and landed gracefully in front of the collector.

"You...you saw...didn't you?" He scrammed over to his sack. "I still have all these other blades! Maybe one of them is..."

The collector never finished his sentence. The unknown figure had socked him across the jaw, sending him flat on the ground.

"Silence!" A dark voice started. "I have no use for you anymore..." He picked up the boy by the collar of his shirt, preparing to unleash another blow, when the presences of the BladeBreakers caught his attention.

He dropped the collector and glanced over his shoulder. "Did you want something?"

"Hilary! What are you doing!" Tyson hissed.

The brunette was slowly walking toward the mysterious figure. There was something too familiar about him!

A shiver ran down her spine as she continued closer, wanting to get a good look, hoping to disprove the feeling creeping up in her stomach.

His eyes narrowed at the girl as he turned to face her.

She stopped in her tracks with a shocked gasp.

"No...it...it can't be!"

-------------------------

_Oooo! I wonder who that could be!_

_I bet many people can figure this one out…(hides) we'll have to see!_

_As you can probably see, we're now in season 1 of Beyblade. Many things will be recognizable from the series, but different. I'll try to keep it all together too!_

_Anyway…please review!_


	17. Painful Reunion

_Hey people!_

_Another quick update! Whoo hoo! (cough)_

_Anyway…I hope this chapter isn't as bad as the last one….once again…it's a bit on the fast side I think…but it WILL slow down soon!_

_  
I've been busy with writing random parts of this fic, and there are indeed some slower parts…just to let you know…_

_Also, I am trying to add a few things that are VERY different from the series…hopefully you'll be able to see those as the time comes…._

_And I wasn't trying to be **unpredictable** last chapter….I've talked with my friends before I posted that chapter where Kai dies, and they were all sadden, as were most of you…so yeah….you'll find out soon who that mysterious figure is in like…ten seconds or so into this chapter. _

_Of course with saying that, I've just now spoiled it for everyone who **didn't** know…._

_OKAY! Enough of my rambling!_

Enjoy if possible…

-------------------

**Chapter 17 – Painful Reunion**

"No...it...it can't be!"

Hilary suddenly froze in her tracks as the mysterious figure moved out of the shadows of the warehouse.

Light fell upon him, illuminating every one of his features.

The brunette felt her heart stop dead in its tracts as she saw the two toned blue hair, white scarf and red arm guards, and of course, those four cobalt triangles etched on his face.

"Kai..."

The small whisper seemed to have startled the figure.

"What did you call me?" His eyes narrowed dangerously at the brunette.

"Hilary!" Tyson and the others ran up to her. "What are you doing!"

"It's...it's..." She raised a finger toward the teen in front of her. "Kai!"

A dark growl erupted from the blue haired teen's throat, his lips curling in a snarl.

"What!" Tyson fell back a step in shock. "But you said he..."

"I know! But...but that's him!" Hilary seemed to have found her voice. With tears forming in her eyes, she turned back toward Kai. "Don't you remember me!"

"Hmph..." He shook his bangs away from his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I don't associate myself with your...types..."

Hilary let out a gasp in shock. His voice was no longer thickened with a Russian accent. He spoke clearly, as if this was the only language he had known. And his words...they were cold...she had never known him to say such things.

She sniffed back her tears and reached out and grabbed her love by the front of his shirt. "Kai! It's me! Hilary! Don't you recognize me! We met in Russia! In Balkov Abbey! You helped me get away!"

Something she had said set him off. An angry glare flared up in his crimson eyes.

"Get your hands off me!" With another snarl, he raised his right hand and struck her against the cheek, sending her straight to the ground.

"Hilary!"

Rei rushed over to her side as she sat on the cold concrete, holding her reddening cheek as tears flowed freely down her face.

"You jerk! How dare you hit a girl!"

The rest of the BladeBreakers were now furious, especially Tyson. He had ran up and grabbed hold of Kai's scarf, raising his fist to strike.

"Try it, and die!" The teen spoke calmly, but his facial expression had turned completely dark. His hair ruffled slightly as if a breeze was passing through, and Tyson could swear he saw his blood red eyes light up.

Before anyone could blink, the navy haired blader was flat on his back, five feet away.

"What the!" Rei was trying to grasp what had happened. It was too quick for even him!

"How did he do that!" Max asked out loud.

Tyson recovered quickly, picking himself up and readjusting his hat. He growled, glaring at Kai with pure rage. "Fine! I challenge you to a bey battle!" He held out Dragoon, ready in its launcher.

Kai let out a dark chuckle, apparently amused at the challenge.

Without a word, his right hand disappeared into his back pocket and pulled out his own launcher.

"Oh no..." Hilary whimpered, still unable to control her tears. She clutched at Rei's arm.

"You think you can stand a chance against my BlackDranzer!"

"Shh...it's alright Hilary..." The Chinese teen pulled the shivering brunette in a tight hug.

Tyson growled, grabbing the end of his ripcord as Kai did the same.

He noticed that his left hand was covered in bandages, and he was holding his launcher delicately with mainly his thumb and index finger.

_"Hm...I guess he's still recovering from everything Hilary told me about..."_

"Let it rip!"

The two teens launched their blades simultaneously.

Kai's black blade was immediately shrouded in shadow as it approached Tyson's Dragoon with amazing speed.

"It's impossible!" Kenny exclaimed, opening his laptop and beginning to record the match. "The blade's too powerful! Tyson! Pull out!"

But it was too late. The two collided with a loud explosion. Smoke erupted and spread everywhere, covering everyone with a murky cloud.

Everything was silent for a few moments. Suspense hung in the air just as the smoke did.

Max suddenly coughed. "What happened!"

"Who won?"

"Impossible!" Tyson's voice sounded. "It...you..."

"Heh heh heh..." Kai laughed. "You're out of your league!"

Everyone stood silent in shock as the blue haired teen walked over toward Tyson, grinding broken parts of beyblade into the ground.

Bending down, he reclaimed his BlackDranzer, which had been spinning in place next to what was left of Tyson's Dragoon.

"Hmm..." He cocked his head to the side as he examined his black blade. "Too bad you weren't strong enough...I would have liked to battle that bitbeast face to face."

Tyson fell to his knees in disbelief.

"You didn't have to destroy his beyblade!" Max yelled, his hands clenched into fists.

The American's outburst caught Kai's attention. He shot a short glare at him, but his gaze shifted toward Kenny, who was typing away on his laptop.

_"How interesting..."_ he thought. Readjusting his scarf, he pocketed his blade and jumped back onto the roof of the cannery.

"Wait Kai!" Hilary started, trying to push herself out of Rei's embrace.

But it was too late. The teen had disappeared completely.

---

"Argh! Damn that guy!" Tyson pounded his fists into the wooden floor.

"Just calm down already Tyson! Kenny's working on Dragoon as we speak!" Rei said, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I hope Dragoon's alright..." Max stated.

Hilary was the only one not saying anything. She had locked herself in the bathroom, and refused to speak with anyone.

"Why Kai...what happened to you?" She asked herself, bringing her knees to her chest and crying into them.

Her heart had already been broken when she watched Kai fall, and now was just too much to take! He was acting like Boris! _Exactly _like Boris! Was it really Kai that they had seen, or was it some freak imitation, or a cruel joke?

She had had dreams like this over the past few months, where all she was trying to do was reach out to Kai in the distance, but she never came close, and he would just disappear. Was this her dream coming true?

"Or wait!" The brunette's ruby eyes went wide. She remembered the news report she had seen that morning, with the Demolition Boys. They all had that same dark look Kai had on his face!

"Hilary? Are you alright in there?" Rei's voice sounded from outside.

The door swung open suddenly, startling the raven haired teen for a moment.

"Rei! I have to talk to Mr. Dickinson! We have to help Kai!"

----------------

_You see! I couldn't kill my most favoritest character in the whole world! Well…actually I could…but I'm not planning on it any time soon. (maniacal laugh)_

_And once again…I've failed at doing something the way I really wanted it…(sigh) I apologize to everyone. The reactions of everyone didn't come out the right way…and I'm just too tired to go and fix it. Hopefully no one will get mad at me though…especially all those good authors out there that review and help me so much! (you know who you are) :D_

_Kai's reappearance was supposed to be further down the road, but as I've said many times before…this story has been going super fast._

_It will slow down though, so don't worry. I'm not quite sure at exactly what point, but it will! I promise!_

_  
I've also added a little…surprise sort of thing with this story. Right now, I'm trying to make it fit in though, so if things get weird and confusing, let me know!_

_Okay…please review!_

_Oh, and to **personne du monde, **yes, it should have been "two". That's what happens whena generally stupid persontries to write something with like…zero sleep before that. LOL! Sorry about that though!_


	18. To Open an Old Wound

_Hey there!_

_Yet another chapter...ugh...it sucks, just to warn you..._

_I'm afraid this story is going to be quite dull for a while...sorry. I guess there is just many transition chapters that will lead up to the tournament in Japan, and then there will be more dull chapters, and then the ending._

_Unfortunately, there are probably more dull chapters than interesting ones. I'm trying to make things better, but I get to a point where it's just not getting any better...so I'm sorry about that._

_So yeah..._

_Everyone's question about how Kai survived and stuff will be answered, as long as the deal with the Demolition Boys…just be patient. I'll provide hints along the way too!_

_And there will be at least one more twist later on as well…hopefully that will keep things interesting._

_As for this chapter…besides its suckiness…it's basically just talking and stuff…boring! (dies)_

_I'm sure there is something I forgot to write…._

_Gah!_

_Here's the next chapter...enjoy if possible..._

------------------

**Chapter 18 - To Open an Old Wound**

"I have to speak with Mr. Dickinson! Kai needs our help!"

"Whoa! Slow down Hil! It's late, and Mr. Dickinson won't be at his office!" Rei exclaimed, grabbing hold of the brunette as she charged out of the bathroom, tears still staining her face.

"But...but Rei! Let me go!" She twisted her arm in his grasp, but eventually gave up, sinking down to her knees.

"We'll talk to him tomorrow morning...first thing, alright?" The amber eye teen smiled warmly at her. He didn't know exactly how Hilary felt, but he knew how painful it must be for her. "Let's just get a good night's sleep for now."

The brunette sniffed, and rubbed her eyes with the back of her arm. "Okay Rei...that sounds good..."

Slowly, Rei helped Hilary off the floor and down the hall to where the team would be spending the night.

Everyone was up early the next morning, including Tyson.

The team had all gathered around Kenny, who was busy typing away on his laptop on a small desk.

"How does it look Chief?" Tyson asked with anxiety in his voice.

"Well...Dragoon didn't seem to take a lot of damage, but the blade is totally trashed! I'll _have_ to rebuild it..."

"What about Max's blade?" Rei started.

"That's right! The prelims are only a few weeks away! What are we going to do with two down blades!" Hilary asked.

"Everyone...just calm down!" Kenny exclaimed.

Silence fell upon the group instantly. It was a rare occasion when Kenny raised his voice.

"You forget who you are dealing with..." Dizzi's mechanical voice pierced through the silence suddenly, a sense of pride behind her words.

"Since I took the opportunity to give Rei an upgrade, I've been working on Tyson's and Max's as well!" The small teen smirked to himself. He jumped off his chair and went over to a case full of spare parts in the corner. "Ta-da!"

A gasp ran through the team as Kenny revealed two shiny new blades.

"Oh my gosh...you're the greatest Chief!" Tyson ran over and claimed his new blade. It was a slightly grey color, with a red and black attack ring that looked strong enough to cut through even the thickest metal.

"This is awesome!" Max's forest green beyblade looked similar to his older one, but it had a low profile design which would prove useful for quick movements during a battle.

"You're the best!" Tyson nearly tackled the smaller boy in a hug. "There will be no way I can lose with **this** blade!"

"Well they haven't been formally tested yet...so there might still be some bugs in the design."

"Well let's just check them out now!" The blonde teen exclaimed brightly, snapping Draciel's bit into its new blade.

Tyson followed his friend's action. "Yeah! I can't **_wait_** to see what this can do!"

"Hold your horses Tyson!" Rei cut in. "We should go and see Mr. Dickinson about Kai!"

Hilary was slightly shocked that Rei had thought of her wish from the previous night.

"Oh yeah!" Max exclaimed, pocketing his blade.

Kenny walked up and quickly took Dragoon from Tyson just as he was about to stick it in his pocket as well.

"Hey! What gives Chief?"

"I still have to run a preliminary test on this...I'll hook it up with Dizzi while we're gone and it should be ready for action by the time we get back!"

The navy haired teen huffed. "...alright..." With a pouting sigh, he released his blade to Kenny.

"Hopefully there is something Mr. D can do to help..."

---

"**_What_**!" Mr. Dickinson jumped to his feet in surprise. "He's...he's **_alive_**! But that's impossible! We _both_ saw..."

"I know Mr. D...but we _all _saw him!" Hilary was already on her feet, unable to sit down.

"Yeah! He completely demolished Dragoon!" Tyson added.

"He what! But Dranzer..."

"He's using BlackDranzer now..." Hilary finished...sinking into her chair. "That...that _evil_ blade..."

The BladeBreakers took a few more minutes to go through yesterday's events in detail, filling the BBA manager in on everything.

"I've heard of this gang...the Blade Sharks..." Mr. Dickinson fell back into his chair, stroking his chin in thought. I've heard stories about them from other bladers! They formed up while you were missing, and ever since they got their leader, they've been terrorizing anyone that has a blade!"

"Well that leader is Kai, and we have to stop him!" Hilary replied, grabbing the end of her skirt. "He would **_never_** act like this...we have to make him remember who he really is!"

She suddenly jumped to her feet, starling everyone in the room. "We have to go back! Maybe if I show him Dranzer..."

"Now don't go out and do anything rash Hilary...that's one dangerous gang!"

"No kidding!" Rei started. "Who knows what they might do to you if you just walk in there..."

"He wouldn't hurt me!"

"Oh? He'd just punch to the street though!" Tyson's voice carried a hint on annoyance with it.

"But...but he isn't like that!"

"Have you ever thought that maybe that **_is _**the way he truly is, and he was just trying to win your trust?" The navy haired blader asked.

The brunette shot the navy haired teen a furious death glare. "You know **_nothing_** about Kai! He's loving...and...and kind! Sure, he doesn't look it...but he protects those he loves! That's why I have Dranzer, and that's why I'm still here!"

She abruptly got to her feet and stormed out of the office, slamming the door on her way out.

"Hilary! Stop! I'm sorry!" She heard Tyson yell after her.

"Let her go Ty..." Rei placed a hand on Dragoon's master, pulling him back into the room slightly.

"We still have to remember that she's experienced a great deal of sorrow, and this whole situation just adds to it! It's like opening an old wound..." Mr. Dickinson started as the team settled back in their seats. "All we can do is support her anyway we can, and hope there will be a way to return Kai's memory to him."

---

"Stupid Tyson..." Hilary grumbled to herself, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.

She kicked a small stone as hard as she could down the street as she walked, her eyes downcast in thought..

"I don't know what's worse...having the one you love dead, or alive but not able to remember you..." The brunette reached into her pocket and pulled out the tattered cobalt blade, its metallic finish long faded. "Maybe I should join up with that gang...and just leave the BladeBreakers..."

The center of the beyblade began to glow red at her words, creating a warm aura in her hand.

"Yeah...you're right Dranzer..." She looked away, fighting the tears forming in her eyes. "That's a stupid idea...that won't help Kai in the slightest..."

She turned a corner and found herself walking down the familiar sidewalk toward her house. Her gaze came to rest on the dojo, the back of which could be seen from the next street over.

"Aurgh!" She exclaimed in fury. "**_Stupid_** Tyson!"

She was about to storm off into her house when something caught her attention.

A loud crash echoed from across the street, followed by the yells of a familiar old voice.

Hilary gasped, turning to face the source of the commotion.

"Get back here, you thieves!" A long kendo stick waved around in the air as two figures lept over a stone wall and onto the sidewalk directly across from Hilary.

She recognized the kendo stick as the one that Tyson's grandpa had threatened everyone with occasionally, and she also recognized one of the figures running away from the scene.

"That's the guy from the warehouse yesterday!" Her ruby eyes went wide as she watched them run.

The other boy was carrying a grey object under his arm.

"Dizzi!" Hilary started after them. "They stole Dizzi! I bet they got Dragoon too then!"

The girl ducked behind a set of crates littering the alley next to the warehouse, watching silently as the theif caught his breath in front of another figure.

"Did you get it?"

"Kai..." She whispered out loud, recognizing the voice instantly.

"Yeah..." The other replied. "And look what I found next to it!"

He showed the blue haired teen what was in his hand.

Hilary heard Kai chuckle darkly at what he saw.

"So the idiot got himself a new blade..."

"_So they **did** get Dragoon_!" The brunette peered out from behind her hiding spot to get a better look, but accidentally hit her head against it, sending an empty can clattering to the street.

"You idiot! You were followed!"

Hilary gasped, seeing as she had been spotted. She jumped back and turned to run, but ran into something hard.

With a gasp, she glanced up at what she had just run into.

"You again!" Crimson eyes glared brightly at her, illuminating the shadow falling around them.

"Kai! You've **got** to remember me!" She grabbed the front of his shirt. "Don't you remember Dranzer!"

"Hands off!" He brushed her hands off of his shirt and stepped back.

"What the hell is wrong with this girl...eh Kai?"

A few gang members had walked up behind the brunette, each with an amused look on their face.

Kai nodded at someone behind her, and soon the brunette felt an strange presence behind her.

A large hand on her shoulder near her neck, and suddenly felt an uncomfortable pressure. Before she knew it, darkness began clouding her vision, and dizziness began to enveloped her.

"Who knows? She's just a foolish little girl with a broken heart..."

It wasn't long before she gave into her spinning world, and fell unconscious to the ground.

-----------------------------

_Ugh...I'm making Hilary too pathetic..._

_Next chapter (or two) is pretty boring I'm afraid...but after that, there will be an original scene that wasn't in the series...in a few chapters or so._

_That might give you something to look forward to..._

_I've got a bunch of crap going on right now...so I'll be criticizing every chapter for a while now...so here I go..._

_  
Sorry this sucked sooo badly! The sooner this fic is over, the better...I apologize to everyone for not coming out with better chapters..._


	19. Dark Dreams

_Hey people!_

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews last chapter! I would go through and do that little "Special Thanks" section, but I'm too tired at the moment...so maybe next chapter! But I really did enjoy the ones I recieved for the last chapter!

_Oh! Just a bit of random info for those who haven't noticed...it seems that this site now has a private messaging option between registered members! Feel free to contact me through that if you really want to! Just don't send me messages about how I haven't updated my other stories...or else you'll get another rant!_

_This chapter has some **major** hints about what's to come...just to let you know. If you don't know by the end of this story what will happen...then maybe I'm not as obvious as I think! (nervous laugh)_

_The last part of this chapter had been written **long** ago, and I just finished up the first part today, so I'm hoping it all fits together okay. If not, I am super sorry about that! I think it gets a bit random at the end...but then again, it's full of clues!_

_OKAY! Enough of this..._

_  
Here's the next chapter!_

Enjoy if possible...

-----------------------------

**Chapter 19 - Dark Dreams**

Everything was shrouded in darkness. Hilary wasn't sure if she was awake or not, but could feel a presence close to her.

She opened her eyes slowly, only to see more darkness.

Sitting up, the brunette rubbed her eyes with a moan, her head feeling as though it were on fire.

_"Where am I?" _Her voice only echoed back to her.

Suddenly, a small sound caught her ears, and she looked around trying to find its source.

_"It's...the ocean?"_ That couldn't be right...she had followed that guy to the Blade Sharks hideout...but that wasn't really close to the beach...

A cold air blew past her, giving her the sensation of being wrapped tight in an ice cold blanket of snow.

The sound of waves became louder, and a splash was heard.

_"What!"_ The splash had surprised her. She craned her neck upward and gasped at what she saw.

A small speck of light was visible, illuminating a figure as if floated slowly down toward her.

_"Is that...Kai!"_ She couldn't believe it! She _had _to be dreaming!

The figure came closer, and eventually turned upright as it landed in front of Hilary.

_"Kai!"_ It _was_ him! _"What the heck is going on!"_ She got to her feet as quickly as she could and rushed for the teen.

A shadow quickly covered him, acting as a wall and repelling Hilary back on the ground as she came in contact with it.

_"Owww..."_ She moaned in pain.

Looking back up at Kai, she could instantly see something wasn't right.

His crimson eyes were lifeless, as if his body were being controlled by something else.

_"Give me the sacred beast!"_ He growled, extending his hand toward the brunette.

_"What are you talking about!"_ Hilary felt herself started to tear up, but fought them back.

There was a crackling sound behind her, and Kai's face darkened noticeably.

_"Is this some sort of nightmare!"_ She thought outloud, grabbing a handful of hair in desperation.

The crackling sound grew louder, and soon something warm errupted from her pocket.

_"Dranzer?"_ She pulled out the beyblade, its center glowing a bright crimson.

_"**Give it to me!**"_Kai's voice was different this time...it was like something had taken over him! Black flames errupted from his feet and swirled around him in an angry dance.

_"Don't do it Hilary...you'll hurt him!"_ A soothing voice came from the cobalt blade.

_"Dranzer?"_ This _had_ to be a dream! Dranzer was talking to her! How was that even possible...let alone everything else that was happening.

_"But Dranzer...Kai's your master!"_ Hilary was just about to hand the blade over to him, but something was tugging at the back of her mind...something was definately wrong here.

The older teen's extended hand was shaking horribly, and a painful grimace had found its way to his face.

_"Don't...release her to me..."_ Kai forced his voice to come out in its normal tone, but it sounded pained, as if he were fighting an incredible force within.

_"Kai!"_ She was on her feet in an instant. _"What's going on Kai!"_

_"The Kai you once loved is not with you anymore..."_ The dark voice started again, malace etching each and every word.

Hilary felt hot tears beginning to rain down from her eyes and pooling together beneath her as she stared at Kai's figure, the black flames growing bigger and brighter with each passing second.

There was a loud cry of a phoenix as blood red eyes appeared on each side of the blue haired teen and a dark figure emerged.

The brunette screamed outloud as the figure became clearer, a figure that had been plaguing her nightmares since she first laid eyes on it...

...BlackDranzer.

Dark wings emerged and surrounded Kai, engulfing him in complete shadow.

_"No Kai!"_ She took a few steps closer, but found herself getting no where closer. She started to run after him, but something was preventing her legs from working properly.

Instead, she collapsed onto the ground, watching with fearful eyes as the flames parted, and the evil phoenix emerge above her, with no Kai in sight.

-----

The brunette jerked awake, her heart pounding furiously in her chest. She immediately closed her eyes, not caring where she was just yet.

Taking a few moments to calm herself, her pulse finally began to slow and she could heard sounds about her.

"Hey! Get your cold hands off me!" The electronic female voice commanded. "What do you think you're doing! Stop it you hacker!"

_"Dizzi?"_

There was a dark growl. "Don't make me deactivate you..."

Dizzi gasped. "You bluff!"

"Do I now?" The familiar male voice seemed slightly amused as the typing sound continued.

There was a loud beeping, almost like an alarm sounding.

"Alright! Alright! You proved your point!" Dizzi screeched. "What do you want?"

"I want you to shut up!"

"Roger, Chief!" Dizzi went silent, and all that echoed in Hilary's mind was the sound of fingers against a keyboard, typing furiously.

"Ugh..." The brunette moaned, forcing her eyes open once again.

She found herself laying down on a ragged couch, her arms bound behind her back. After blinking a few times, she realized that she was inside an office like room inside an old warehouse.

It had been abandoned years ago, and rust was beginning to corrode the walls around her.

Looking around, she quickly found the source of the typing sound.

Directly across the room from her was a bunch of crates, stacked up and scattered about. On top laid a body, his head propped up against the side of one of the crates, and a laptop on his stomach.

"Kai!"

Crimson eyes glared directly at her. "Finally awake I see..." He sighed, diverting his eyes back to the small screen in front of him.

"What are you doing with Dizzi!" She sat up stiffly, finding it more difficult with her arms bound behind her.

There was only silence for a few minutes as Kai typed away at the laptop.

"It seems like your little friends all have a sacred bitbeast inside their blades..." The blue haired teen held up the new Dragoon blade. "If I had known about this one...your friend would have lost more than his pathetic blade..."

Setting the stolen blade back in his pocket, he snapped his fingers, obviously calling for someone.

"Yeah boss?" The boy that Hilary had followed walked in.

"Send a challenge to the BladeBreakers. Tell them we have something that they might want back..."

"Right..."

The room became quiet once again as Kai shut the laptop and sat up.

With a sigh, he jumped off the crate and walked over to Hilary.

The brunette flinched slightly as he grapped the ropes around her held her directly in front of him.

His other hand delved into his back pocket and flipped out thick knife.

"Kai! Wa...What are you..." She squirmed in his grasp, but found it useless. She squeezed her eyes shut as he brought the knife closer.

Suddenly, her bindings slacked, and fell in a pile around her waist.

She blinked in confusion for a moment as Kai retracted his knife and placed it back in his pocket.

"You're free to go. I have no use for you anyway..."

"Kai..." She jumped off the couch and rushed after him.

"What is wrong with you! Is there something about my name that you like so much!"

Suddenly, he felt two arms wrap around his waist and a warmth on his back.

"What the hell?" He twisted around and jumped back out of the embrace. His crimson eyes had turned dark with anger, but Hilary could sense some confusion deep inside.

"Do you still not remember me!" She fell to her knees. "After all we've been through! How could it be that easy to forget!"

Kai growled. "Foolish girl! I told you I've never seen you before in my life!"

"Deep inside you know that's not true! I know all about you Kai! Like how you injured that hand of yours!"

The older teen glanced down at the bandages surrounding his nearly useless hand.

Hilary got to her feet again, and slowly began to approach. "You were shot when we were trying to escape from Boris! You said Tala was the only one that could shoot like that!"

His eyes went wide at the mention of those names. "How..."

"You have multiple scars on your back...whip lashes!"

"Shut up!"

"You fell from a helicopter and landed in the ocean! I thought you had died!" Tears were forming in her ruby eyes again. "And you left me with this..."

Her hand disappeared inside the small pocket of her skirt and flashed a familiar blue blade and the teen.

All of Kai's breath left him at that moment. He stared at the blade with wide, almost frightened eyes.

"Impossible..." He retreated a few steps until he ran into a wall.

"You remember _this_ don't you?" She extended the blade further to him. "She belongs to you...you left her with me before you fell..."

"_Liar_!" The older teen's words were full of hatred and anger. "There is only ONE Dranzer!" He raised his hand, as if prepared to knock the blade out of her hand, but hesitated for a moment.

Hilary reached out and grabbed his injured hand gently, turning it so his palm faced her. She placed the damaged blade in his hand and forced his fingers around it.

In her dream, she had been told not to do this, but she was curious about the effect...what _would_ happen exactly?

"Augh!" Kai cried out in pain, dropping the blade as if it were a hot coal just out of the fire. He realed back into a crate and slid down to the floor.

He grabbed a fistfull of slate colored hair in each hand as if he had a major headach. His breaths came in short, shallow gasps.

"Boss!" A voice sounded as the front door of the room opened.

"What the hell is going on!" Another teen demanded.

"You bitch! What did you do!" The first teen shoved her away, causing her to fall to the floor.

"You alright?" The other was trying to help Kai, but he shooed him away.

"Leave me be!" He growled, pulling himself to his feet.

He stormed out of the open door, slamming it behind him in fury.

Hilary scrambled over to the blade and stuffed it back in her pocket. What had just happened! Was there really something dark inside of Kai that prevented him from touching Dranzer? Would her dream prove just more than a dream?

Her thoughts were interupted as the two gang members charged over to her.

"What the hell happened!" One of the boys reached out to grab her, but she had had enough of this.

"Keep your hands off me!" She screamed, ramming her knee into the boy's groin.

With a strangled cry of pain, he collapsed into a ball and rolled slightly on the floor.

Suddenly, the other boy appeared behind her and shoved her into the wall. "So it seems you actually have some fight it you eh?"

The brunette squirmed in his grip, but was unable to get free.

He maneuvered her over to a closet in the back of the office like room and shoved her inside, slamming the door and placing a chair under the door knob to prevent her from escaping.

"Let me out you jerk!" She yelled, pounding and kicking the door with all her strength.

After what seemed like eternity, she gave up and sunk to the floor.

"I hope I was able to get through to him...even if it was just a little bit..." She remembered his face as she confronted him. He had started to remember...but something obstructed that.

_"It seems like your little friends all have a sacred bitbeast inside their blades...if I had known about this one...your friend would have lost more than his pathetic blade..."_

Was Kai after the sacred bitbeasts? And from what he said in the dream...that meant that Dranzer was the fourth one!

She ran her fingers through her tangled hair in thought.

"Something really bad is happening here...I just hope we can figure it out before it's too late!"

------------------------------------------

_Hopefully that wasn't too bad to read through...(spazzes)_

_I think I ended up repeating too many things in this chapter...sorry. But at least Hilary fought back some, right?_

_Blah..._

_Anyway...please review and tell me your thoughts, feelings, and/or desires! But don't think I'll come out and tell you if you're right about what happens later on! _


	20. Challenge

_Hey there!_

Sorry for not touching this story in a long while!

_I'm really feeling like crap right now...and it is very earlier in the morning...like 2 am...and I am very tired...but cannot sleep...AT ALL! That doesn't mean I'm in one of those bitchy moods...which is a good thing, because this update should be getting a lot of flames...and I mean A LOT!_

_I have to say this now...I'm seriously bored with this story right now. And I will continued to be bored until the action starts to pick up after I go through and re-do some scenes that were in Season 1. I am sure that most everyone will find it boring until then too!_

_Everyone who has seen Season 1 will know what will happen for a while...though I am adding original scenes and situations to **try** and keep it interesting...I believe I am failing to do so..._

_I honestly would not be surprised if this story loses half its readers and reviewers._

_This is mainly a warning to those reading this. These boring chapters have to be in this story, or else nothing would fit the way I want it to. But hopefully, toward the end, you will enjoy it just like the chapters when Kai and Hilary were in the Abbey. (if you enjoyed those chapters in the first place)_

_I believe that is all I'm going to say for now...though I'm sure I will keep saying it for a while, in case it takes some people that long to get the message..._

_Now I know I always say that "This chapter SUCKS!" in like, every other update...and I get reviews that say "Don't be so hard on yourself, it was wonderful!" ...I just want people to know that I **really** believe I could have done so much better with this...no excuses!_

_I blew threw this like I do my schoolwork..._

_Everything just happens...I'm not sure if there is a point even! Things are rushed...and it's pretty obvious as well._

_I'm not asking for critiques for this chapter, because I will be in this "way of writing" for a while. As I said earlier, I am just plain bored with it...and when I don't like what I have to write, or when I'm bored...I do a horrible job. Just as any of my teachers. I'm sure many people are like that..._

_And I'm trying for the sake of all the people who like this story...really I am..._

_Look at that...I've said to much...again...(sigh)_

_I really do apologize that this story is going downhill..._

------------------------------------------

_**Chapter 20 - Challenge**_

"Do you think Hilary made it home alright?" Max asked, breaking the long silence between the boys.

"I'm sure she's fine Maxie..." Rei started.

"Hmph..." Tyson puffed up his cheeks in a pout and looked off to his left.

The Chinese teen sighed. "Let's stay off the subject of 'Kai' around her...okay? She's still recovering from all that you know!"

"I agree..." Kenny replied. "Just apologize to her, Tyson."

"Like I wasn't gonna!" The teen fumed, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Are you...jealous?" Max started, sneaking up behind his friend with a cat-like grin on his face.

"Jealous! Of what?"

"You know...jealous that Hilary likes Kai, and not you?" The blonde giggled slightly.

"How can you be serious! Hilary is a _girl_!"

"...and?" Rei raised an eyebrow at that.

"I mean..." Tyson could feel himself going red. "She's an _annoying_ girl! And bossy!" He went into an unreal imitation of how Hilary treated him throughout the weeks, really mocking her more than anything. "How could anyone be jealous of _that_!"

The other boys were still laughing from the imitation, and by the time everyone had calmed down, they found themselves at the front of Tyson's dojo.

The navy haired teen sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to hear the end of that conversation for a while now. Sure...he kind of had a crush on Hilary at first...but he knew she loved Kai...even though he apparently wasn't being himself. Hilary was one of his best friends, and he would do _anything_ to help her. He couldn't bear to see her so sad any longer...but what could he do to bring the Kai she loved back?

Brushing his bangs out of his eyes with a flick of his wrist, he sighed once again and followed his friends into the house.

"AHHH!" Kenny's voice was the first thing anyone heard.

"What!"

"Dizzi! She's gone!"

"WHAT!" Tyson rushed down the hall, followed by Max and Rei.

They shoved themselves into the back room where they had left the computer and Tyson's new beyblade.

"Dragoon's gone too!"

The four began searching the house furiously, but found nothing.

"Hey guys!" Rei suddenly called out. "Look here!"

He had found how the thief had gotten inside. Whoever stole Dizzi and Dragoon broke through the back window and crawled through the space at the top.

"Hey!" Max's voice sounded from outside. He ran around and joined the rest of his friends. "I found this wedged in the front door...it's for you..." He handed a small slip of paper to Tyson.

The teen took it and unfolded it as fast as he could.

_BladeBreakers_

_By now I am sure you have noticed a few items missing. Your friend decided to get involved as well...and for that, she has obviously put you in a tight spot._

_Come to the warehouse district by sundown tonight, or we cannot guarantee your friend's safety..._

The note ended with the Blade Shark's insignia.

Tyson crumpled the note in his hand.

"They have Hilary..." Rei started.

"What are we going to do! They have access to all out stats now!" Kenny wailed.

"We have to go and face them..." Tyson said simply, heading for the door.

"Hold on!" Max called, grabbing his friend by the shoulder. "Shouldn't we make a plan first? How do _you_ expect to battle them without a blade!"

The four teammates sat down in a circle on the floor, and began calculated a plan. After what seemed like hours, they figured out a plan of action to rescue Hilary and get back Dragoon and Dizzi.

---

Rei, Max, Kenny and Tyson had arrived in front of a gigantic warehouse covered in graffiti. The Blade Sharks insignia was plastered across the front doors, so they knew they had come to the right spot.

"Over here!" Rei called, finding the side door was already wide open.

The team ran inside, only to be greeted by darkness.

"I don't know about this guys..." Max started. He was obviously a bit spooked by everything now.

Suddenly, the lights flipped on, causing everyone to shield their eyes from the harsh brightness.

"So...you came after all..."

A familiar voice echoed from deep inside the building.

"Kai! What have you done with Hilary!" Tyson growled. "Show yourself you coward!"

A laugh was his only reply. "I'm a coward, now am I?"

"You kidnapped a girl for heaven's sake! What are you, afraid to come out and face us like a real blader!"

"So immature..." The voice seemed to lose its echo as two crimson eyes, glowing unnaturally, peered out from the dark shadows above.

"There!" Rei pointed up into the rafters.

"Heh heh heh..." Kai stepped out from the shadows, crouched over slightly and staring down at the teens.

"There you are! Come down here!" Tyson shouted.

"Don't you order him around!" Another voice called from the side of the warehouse.

Gang members began to appear on top of crates all over the place, surrounding the BladeBreakers and cutting off their only escape.

"Trapped..."

"Indeed!" Kai stood up and pulled out an object from behind him, letting it rest under his arm. "Let's get down to business...shall we?"

"Dizzi!" Kenny exclaimed, seeing his beloved laptop.

"You are foolish to let such valuable data fall into anyone's hands..." The blue haired teen started, sending a glare down at the boys below.

"What did you say!" Tyson called back, the older boy's words already infuriating him.

Kai took the laptop and with a flick of his wrist, sent the computer flying through the air like a Frisbee.

Kenny cried out in pure horror as the computer flew. "Catch it! CATCH IT!" He was running about, trying to grab it out of the sky.

Rei managed to jump over the small teen and snatch it before it hit something. "Here..."

"Ahhh! Thanks Rei!" The brunette was overjoyed and immediately engulfed the computer in hugs.

"What was _that_ all about!" Tyson's voice echoed through the old warehouse.

"Heh...do you fail to see how important those blades of yours our?"

"We know full well about them!" Rei replied, glaring up at the gang leader.

"Then you should know...many people will be after them...and you all have made my job so much easier!"

"What are you talking about?" Dragoon's master growled.

"Just trash them already boss!" One of the Blade Sharks chuckled from the landing on the second floor.

Kai motioned over for the office door with a quick nod of his head. Within moments, struggling could be heard from inside, and soon enough, the door was kicked open once again, revealing two gang members and Hilary in between them.

"Hilary!"

"You came!" The brunette was overjoyed to see all her friends below her on the main floor.

"Are you hurt?" Tyson asked. "I swear...if they've done anything..."

"I'm alright Tyson...just get out of here! It's a trap!"

"Oh, but he can't run." Kai started, his lips curling into a cunning smirk. "I still have something that is precious to him..."

"Dragoon..."

"It is unfortunate that I didn't realize when we first battled...if you could call it that..."

The navy haired teen growled, his hands balling into fists.

"...this is one special blade!" Kai took his hand out of his pocket to reveal the grey beyblade. He examined it, turning his wrist to see all the sides.

"What's your game here?" Rei's voice interrupted again.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, a silvery streak shot through the air and straight at Tyson. The teen caught the object in his right hand, shaking it slightly afterward with a wince.

"Tyson!"

He looked at the object now in his hand. "Wha? Dragoon!" His ruby eyes glanced back up at Kai, who stepped off the rafter and was now falling through the air.

He landed gracefully in front of the large beydish situated on top of the platform in front of the team.

"Battle me." Crimson eyes narrowed as their owner pulled out a cobalt blue beyblade and launcher.

Hilary gasped as she watched Tyson do the same. "Don't do it! He's going to..." She was suddenly silenced when a thick hand covered her mouth.

"Don't do it Tyson!" Max started.

"We haven't even tested that beyblade yet!" Kenny's voice was hysteric.

"Stay out of this guys...the only way to stop this is to defeat him!"

The two bladers glared at each other for the longest time. All of a sudden, they both yanked their ripcords through their launchers and sent their blades into play as if someone had sounded a started bell.

Dragoon and BlackDranzer quickly attacked each other, sending flying sparks all around the dish.

"I won't lose to you! I have the power of the Dragoon, and nothing can stop us!"

The grey blade charged for its black enemy, furious winds seeping out from the base in preparation to attack.

"You pathetic weakling!" Kai shouted, blocking the attack and parrying it easily. "You should not have **_ever_** been entrusted with the power of the sacred beast! I should be the sole guardian of them all!" He let out a dark, maniacal laugh.

Black flames erupted from the evil blade and soon a purplish light appeared at the top. With a loud cry, black feather sprang forth from the center and rose upward toward their master. In a burst of dark fire, BlackDranzer emerged in all her glory, glowing red eyes piercing straight through Tyson as if he were her next meal.

Kai had finished his laugh, and returned his gaze at his opponent. His crimson eyes had changed though. They were lifeless, and those looking through could see only an empty soul.

"Say good-bye..." He started, a sickening and unnatural smile plastered across his tattooed face. "It's time...to surrender your Dragoon!"

----------------------------

_Yeah...I'm sure that was bitter to read through!_

I've certainly done better...but right now, I'm too tired to really care. I still can't sleep...ugh...

_But anyway, this chapter was supposed to be mainly filler. And this story is going to be soo dull for a long time! I'll say sorry now, in advance._

_I'm quite bored with it myself...and I'm starting to wish that I had just left it when Kai "died"...but oh well. _

_Please have patience with me! The next few chapters will be hard for me to write, and I'll try to do something that keeps everyone entertained until the real good action starts up..._

_So yeah..._

_Please review and tell me what you think! And go ahead and flame it for all it's worth...I think I certainly deserve it._


	21. Battle

_Hey there!_

I know this is a quick update, but since this chapter is all beybattle, I kind of had some fun writing it...which is a **HUGE** change from last chapter!

_I want to thank all of you who sent reviews that encouraged me and gave me some tips for writing this story. They touched me deeply, and they all mean a lot to me!_

_I hope this chapter came out better than the last, and I hope that it won't disappoint you!_

_It's probably the shortest beybattle scene between Tyson and Kai ever written here (nervous laugh) but it isn't a **real** significant battle in this fic...considering there will be plenty more battles in the future._

_But I did have fun writing this battle, and hopefully it will be obvious, because I know many of you could feel my boredom last chapter._

_And to the person who talked with me about the flow of this story, I thank you too! I hope I will be able to get the flow going soon!_

_Okay, here is the next chapter!_

Enjoy if possible...

----------------------------

_**Chapter 21 - Battle (the most original title in the history of man!)**_

"Say good-bye..." Kai started, a sickening and unnatural smile plastered across his tattooed face. "It's time...to surrender your Dragoon!"

With those words, BlackDranzer flew into action before Tyson could even blink.

"Watch out!" He heard his friends bellow, shouting up at him with encouraging words, trying to help him as the black blade torn at his.

BlackDranzer's furious assault sent Dragoon straight up the wall of the giant dish, but Tyson seemed to snap out of his daze once his beloved blade neared the edge.

"Dragoon!" With a loud battle cry, the navy haired teen summoned his bit beast to the battle in a storm of bitter winds.

Kai growled, bringing his arms up to shield his face as the wind enveloped him, his scarf blowing furiously behind him.

BlackDranzer shrieked, almost in delight as the blue Dragon emerged from the wind with a loud roar.

"Heh heh heh..." Kai chuckled darkly. "Excellent!" He re-established his footing and extended a hand toward his beyblade.

"Dark fire emission!"

A squealing sound came from the black blade as it began to spin faster and push Dragoon even closer to the edge. Purplish flames came from under the blade, threatening to overtake its opponent.

"Your bit beast is as immature as you are! I was hoping that the holy beasts would be _stronger_ than their masters, but no matter! That's _all_ about to change!"

Tyson growled. "I'll show you just how strong we are!" Dragoon roared and extended his claws, catching the black phoenix by the wings.

The two blades began to change their direction. They started to head back down the side of the dish, toward the center.

BlackDranzer let out a howl in surprise, and tried to push her opponent back, but this only brought the two blades to a standstill.

"What!" Kai seemed as surprised as his bitbeast. "Push him back already!"

The phoenix was trying, but she wasn't winning.

Dragoon suddenly pushed her over to the side, shoving her down into the bottom of the dish with a loud explosion.

Smoke erupted as concrete flew up in the air, showing the two combatants in debris.

"Tyson!" Rei, Max, Kenny and Hilary all yelled.

No one knew what happen as the smoke began to settle back down. Tyson was the first to become visible, but was still in a battle stance.

The beyblades were still in play.

Suddenly, BlackDranzer flew up and emerged from the top of the smoke with a loud screach.

"Boy! She's _really _pissed off!" Kenny exclaimed.

That only meant Kai was infuriated! And indeed, he was!

The smoke disappeared as the phoenix flapped her wings and flew back at Dragoon, sinking her talons into his hide and snapping at his snout.

Kai stood, breathing at a quickened pace in rage, his eyes glowing a bright red now. All his features had seemed to darken considerably and he snarled dangerously at Tyson through his teeth.

"What? Did I ruffle the widdle birdie's feathers?" The navy hair teen asked in a mocking tone.

"Tyson!" Hilary screamed. She knew something bad would only come from making Kai angry, especially now!

"You'll pay for that..." He snarled. "BlackDranzer!"

He didn't need to say much, the bitbeast already knew what she was going to do.

Fire erupted from her wings, covering both her and Dragoon.

"Ugh!" It was Tyson's turn to shield himself as the heat from the fire blew against his skin. He could feel the flames lapping up against his clothing, burning holes through the fabric and scorching his skin. He cried out in pain, but stayed his ground.

"Play with fire, and you will get burned!"

Kai put all his energy into his blade, and BlackDranzer took it happily, intensifying the fire to its maximum heat.

"Dragoon!" Tyson cried out to his blade.

His bitbeast was suffering in the heat of the evil fire, but wasn't about to give up. He shook the phoenix off his back slightly, enough for him to form his own attack.

Within seconds, a wall of wind engulfed the beydish and swirled upward in a giant tornado, bringing all the fire with it.

"Augh!" Both Kai and Tyson were tossed back slightly at the force.

The mixed attacks blew through the roof of the warehouse, and began to spread, kicking up empty crates and tearing at the walkway lining the corroded walls.

The audience had to take cover closer to the entrance, all hoping that the roof wouldn't collapse on them.

After what seemed like an eternity, the winds settled down, and silence overtook everything.

"Boss?" Someone finally asked.

"Hey Tyson!" Max hollered.

There was a cough, and a smoky figure got to his knees. He was panting terribly, and had a shocked expression on his face.

"I...I can't believe it...Black...Dranzer..."

Tyson moaned and rolled onto his knees as well.

"What happened! Who won!" Rei yelled, his voice echoing.

"That was wicked!" The navy haired teen chuckled, staggering to his feet.

By this time, his teammates were by his side, staring wide eyed into the destroyed beydish.

Max helped his friend stand straight while Rei climbed through the rubble and retrieved Dragoon, who had come to rest right next to BlackDranzer.

"It was a tie!"

Those words caused Kai to growl. Suddenly, he got to his feet and jumped down, snatching his blade before Rei could get it for him.

He jumped back up and walked over to where Hilary was being held. "You are free to go..."

"Hey Kai! Wait!"

The crimson eyed teen paused at the sound of Tyson's voice.

"Great battle!" He gave a thumb up and smiled brightly.

"Hn..." Kai's eyes narrowed dangerously before he turned and disappeared outside of the warehouse.

The gang members that had been brave enough to watch the battle all scattered, and soon, the BladeBreakers were left to themselves.

"Hilary! Are you alright!"

The girl nodded, sitting on a small crate to catch her breath. "Thanks...for coming to rescue me..."

"No problem! As I've said...you mess with a BladeBreaker, you mess with all of us!" Tyson smiled at her.

"That was a wicked battle! Are you sure you're alright!" Max exclaimed.

Tyson's clothes were badly burned, and scorch marks littered his face and exposed skin, along with some small cuts.

"Yeah...I'm fine!" He chuckled, falling back onto the crate next to Hilary. "Awesome blade Chief!" He breathed, still breathless from the excitement of the battle. "The best I've ever had!"

----------------------------

_Yeah, it came and went...but Tyson and Kai will battle again...and then they'll do more talking!_

_And you'll see how Kai reacts in the next chapter…I didn't put it here for a reason_

_I hope this wasn't an **utter** disappointment to everyone...it was a very quick battle, but only the first of many._

_The next chapter will probably have a great deal of talking in it, but it's another transition chapter. I think I'll make it long so that the flow will pick up again, and I won't bore everyone with like...three transition chapters in a row (nervous laugh)_

_So please review!_


	22. Breaking Through

_Hey everyone!_

_It took me a while to actually look at this story again…but thankfully I didn't have much to write with this chapter…more than half of it had already been written long ago! So basically, the first half was written in one sitting…so I'm not sure how good it came out, and I didn't go back a read the whole thing either. There is just too much to do in life! AUGH!_

_Anyway…I want to thank everyone that reviewed last chapter! People have been wondering when I'll turn Kai "good" again and stuff. Just to let everyone know…there will be some more battles in…oh, probably the next chapter or two…but you'll just have to wait and see what happens!_

_Oh…and I know I'm not supposed to do this…but oh well! **storm-of-insanity, **I will actually explain why the "bad guys" just don't steal the blades in this story. In the series, I'm sure it's just to drag things out and stuff…but I actually thought of my own reason! I will put it in when the battles start again!_

_So yeah…this chapter is a bit longer than the last…at least it seems that way. And I know I said that this chapter would have Kai's reaction…but I kinda forgot about that…so I'll probably put it in the next chapter. I'm sorry if you were waiting for that!_

_Alright…here's the next chapter…_

_Enjoy if possible…_

-------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 22: Breaking Through**

It had been a week since Tyson's fierce battle with Kai down at the warehouse, and the preliminaries were now only a few days away! The whole town seemed to be excited with the small tournament being held, and the place where it was to be held had already sold out of seats.

"This is going to be so awesome!" Max exclaimed, eyeing the stadium with his wide blue eyes.

"And just think! Every seat is going to be filled!" Tyson added, staring along with his friend.

"It's too bad you guys have to go back home…" Hilary started, somewhat sadly.

"Ah, it'll be alright. We're going to win the prelims back home, and rejoin you for the championships!" Rei flashed a toothy grin.

The rules called for kids from their home countries to participate in preliminary matches in their own countries, the winners forming teams there and the winners going onto the championships. It had already been arranged that Rei, Tyson, and Max would be the bladers for team BladeBreakers, but Mr. Dickinson had told them that it was necessary for each member to participate in their home country's tournaments.

They certainly owed that old man a lot…but they needed to find a fourth member in order to play in the championships, if they won. They all agreed that Hilary would be that player, if worse came to worse, but everyone knew she didn't want to do that. She hoped to God that Kai would come to his senses and join the team soon…

"There you are!" A familiar voice called from the side of the stadium. An elderly man came walking out of the shadows, donning a bowler hat, fancy suit and a matching cane.

"Mr. D!"

"I trust you all have already registered?"

The teens nodded. "Chief's taking care of mine!" Tyson started.

Rei and Max had already registered weeks ago.

"There is a matter I need to speak to you about…but we should go to my office. Max? Rei? Would you like to be dropped off at the airport on the way?"

"But we wanted to see them off!" Tyson whined.

"That's alright Tyson!" Max started.

"That would be nice Mr. D. My plane leaves in half an hour anyway!" The Chinese teen smiled.

"Same here!"

"Alright then…let's find Kenny and head on over."

---

The BBA manager's black sedan pulled up to the airport, where the two foreign teens all exchanged their good-byes and then rushed off to their terminals. It then headed back into town, and came to a stop at a large building…the BBA Headquarters.

After climbing the numerous stairs to the front doors, and taking an elevator to one of the highest floors of the building

"And since you have been having some trouble with finding a captain for the team…I suggest that the winner of this tournament will be offered the position." The elder said, crossing his hands in his lap. "Or the runner up, if Tyson were to win."

"There's no doubt that Kai will be there..."

"So that means Kai will probably win!" Kenny exclaimed.

"No way! I'm going to beat him for sure this time! But I'm not sure if it'll work to have _**him** _on the team…"

Hilary gasped. "But he won't join us the way he is now!" She looked down at her lap, her fingers playing with the ends of her skirt as usual. _"…and I'm not sure **I** want him to join either…"_ She wanted the "old" Kai on the team. She wanted the Kai she fell in love with, and everyone knew it.

"Well, Hilary...maybe something will happen to change his mind?" The old man smiled warmly at her, as if he was planning something.

---

After a few more moments of chatting about the tournament, the group left and headed back to Tyson's dojo.

"Shoot!" Hilary suddenly exclaimed, starling the boys in front of her. "I left my bag in Mr. D's office!"

"Aw man! You mean we have to walk _all_ the way back!" Tyson moaned, his shoulders slouching.

"No…I'll just run back and get it!" The brunette spun around and rushed off the way they had came. _"I just hope he's still there…"_

---

Mr. Dickinson had busied himself with packing stacks of registration papers into his briefcase, preparing to leave the office and go home for the day. He sighed. There was going to be a lot of bladers at the preliminaries this year…

Suddenly, his phone beeped at him, startling him from his thoughts. Reaching out, he pressed a small, glowing button near the receiver. "Yes?"

_"Um sir? Sorry to disturb you…but there is someone to see you…" _His secretary's voice came over the intercom.

"Oh yes! Please send him on in!"

Almost instantly, the office door was opened, and in walked a blue haired teen, scowling as if he was wasting his time in a place like this. He walked up to the oak desk, a white scarf fluttering behind him. When he stopped, he placed his hands in his pockets and closed his eyes.

"Good afternoon Kai!" The old man smiled warmly, his hand extended for a greeting.

The teen only bowed slightly, and then opened his crimson eyes to stare. "What is it that you called me here for?"

"Straight to the point then?" The elder chuckled and took a seat, motioning for Kai to follow, but he refused.

"I trust you've read the new rules that came out yesterday?"

The teen nodded silently.

"So you are willing to join the team to represent Japan if you get past the semi-finals?" The elder stared at the blue haired teen with curious eyes.

"Yes…I suppose I am."

"Heh…you don't strike me as one who would team up with anyone."

"I'm not…I have my own reasons for this."

"I see…" Stanley leaned back in his leather chair. "How's that hand of yours?"

Kai seemed startled. This was the second time a complete stranger knew about his injury. He even looked down, to make sure it was completely hidden from sight…which it was.

"Why should it concern you?"

"I just don't want you to have to quit half way through the tournament. Didn't your doctor tell you to rest it?"

Kai didn't reply, and his silence stunned the elder. He hadn't seen a doctor about it!

The teen opened his mouth to say something, but a booming voice from outside the office cut him off.

"Kai!" A voice bellowed dangerously.

Mr. Dickinson watched as the teen stiffened noticeably, his expression now showing a bit of anxiety.

Suddenly, the office door flew open, and a large figure of about Mr. Dickinson's age and height came storming though.

"There you are boy! What is the meaning of this!" He was definitely angry, almost to the point of tingeing his cheeks a reddish color.

Kai bowed his head slightly, trying to show respect and backed up a few steps until his was against the wall.

"Voltaire! I never knew you to be so rude!" Mr. Dickinson started, scowling half heartedly across the desk.

"I want to know the meaning of this Dickinson! What business have you with my grandson?"

The BBA manager seemed shocked at the relation. Kai seemed to snarl to himself in the corner, as if he hated being reminded of this fact.

"We were only having a friendly chat, if you must know."

Before Mr. Dickinson could continue, Voltaire gave him an evil sneer, narrowing his beady eyes into dangerous slits. He then turned his attention toward Kai, who immediately looked away.

The teen's lips curled into a snarl, and his hands tightened into fists within his pockets.

"Well then...I see no reason to stay..." With that, Voltaire turned swiftly on his heel and headed to the open door.

"One moment Voltaire!"

He stopped and turned to glance at Mr. Dickinson over his shoulder.

"You should have Kai's hand looked at...it doesn't look good...if you haven't noticed..."

The teen couldn't help but let out a soft gasp at this statement. He looked up to see Voltaire staring at him, as if he had committed some type of disrespect.

"Hmph!" The older man stuck his nose in the air and stormed out of the office.

Kai sighed quietly, glancing over toward Mr. Dickinson. He opened his mouth to say one final thing, but a booming voice screamed his name from the lobby.

He sighed again, closing his eyes almost in sadness. He bowed politely to Mr. Dickinson, and left.

"Kai...I was afraid that you might be related to him..." The elder started to himself. Something had changed in the boy from the time he walked into the office, he could sense it. "Keep fighting Kai..."

---

Hilary finally came to the large building downtown...the BBA Headquarters.

"Hopefully Mr. Dickinson will still be here..." She thought to herself, knowing heads would roll if she had to walk all this way for nothing.

She began walking up the white concrete stairs when some ruckus inside caught her attention.

She gasped, seeing two figures through the tinted, sliding glass doorways and ducked behind a large column lining the stairs.

"I can't believe it! You of all people should know better than that!" An angry voice exploded as the doors opened and the figures walked out into the sun.

Hilary's eyes went wide. "Kai!"

The old man he was with continued to shout at him as they made their way toward her, but it appeared that Kai wasn't even listening.

They were only a few steps away, when suddenly; Voltaire turned and swung his fist out so sharply that Kai had no time to dodge.

Hilary couldn't help but let out a short scream as she flinched violently. When she opened her eyes to look, she found that Kai was, amazingly, still on his feet, but now slightly sulked over.

"He's our enemy Kai! **Your** enemy! You know better than to associate yourself with the enemy!"

The blue haired teen suddenly looked up, wiping a trail of blood that had begun to pour down his chin.

He scowled at his grandfather, his eyes flashing in anger. "Yeah...I do..."

Voltaire didn't like that answer. In fact, he was almost shocked!

With a loud growl, he punched Kai one last time, this time succeeding in knocking him to the ground.

The old man turned and stormed down the remaining stairs to a waiting car and climbed inside.

Hilary couldn't hold herself back any longer. She jumped out from behind the column and rushed over to Kai's side.

He moaned softly as he got to his arms and knees. It appeared that he had hit his head against the side of a stair, and was trying to get his body working again.

"Kai!" She threw her arms around him and helped him into a sitting position.

He suddenly stiffened up at her touch and turned slightly to face her.

"Hilary..." His voice was barely above a whisper, yet the brunette heard it loud and clear as if he had yelled it from across the street.

He stared straight at her, but she had a feeling he couldn't even see. His harsh red eyes softened, only for a moment, before turning back into the angry, hate-filled ones she saw that day when he defeated Tyson.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Before she knew it, Kai was walking over to the waiting car, where he was pushed inside and the door slammed shut behind him.

The car pulled away, and Hilary sunk to the ground. "Kai...he...he said my name..." She was overjoyed, but sadness still pulled at her heart like no other. With all those mixed emotions running through her, one was beginning to stand out like it had a few months before...hope.

Was he really coming back to her!

"Hilary!" A surprised voice came from behind her.

The brunette turned around and looked up to see Mr. Dickinson coming down the stairs.

"What are you doing?" He paused for a moment, seeing that she was a bit unsettled. "Is something the matter?"

"Mr. Dickinson..." She felt like she was about to cry, and must have sounded like it to, for the elder rushed down to help her up and gave her a big hug.

"It's...it's Kai!" She finally burst out. She was happy, incredibly happy! "He's breaking through! I'm sure of it!"

----------------------

_Yes, Rei and Max are out of the picture for now…sorry all you Rei and Max fans! But they'll be back…later…_

_I hope this didn't come out too badly…_

_Please review and tell me what you think!_


	23. A Dark Foreboding

_Okay. I need to apologize for my lack of not updating…as I have said, I am extremely busy, and I'm currently dealing with quite a few issues more important than fanfiction at the moment. So please be patient with me…_

_I also want to take the time here and thank you all for the reviews I've received! This is currently the most popular fic out of all the ones I've written! Thank you so much!_

_The next few chapters are those kind of chapters that you just have to push yourself to write, but don't really want to. Originally, this chapter was to be a lot longer, and contain a lot of beyblading action, but my friend Kimkizna helped me with some ideas that I have decided to incorporate into this fic._

_Warning…this chapter contains some Kai/Hil fluff…if you can call it that. Just a small amount though. I'm sure the later part will be completely corny…oh well._

_This is a transition chapter into the beyblading action, which will begin in the next chapter! Woo? _

_So then, I'll let everyone get on with this chapter..._

_Enjoy if possible..._

---------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 23: A Dark Foreboding**

The few remaining days until the tournament had passed, and the day every blader had been waiting for arrived!

All the participants were required to head down to the arena and check in to find out their battling order.

Tyson headed down out to the arena alone, leaving Hilary and Kenny to watch in the stands.

"Hilary…a moment please?"

The brunette nodded silently and waited behind as the elder approached her. "Are you sure you want to be here for this?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it…" Her glance fell to the floor.

"It's going to be hard…for the both of us to watch this."

"I know Mr. D…but I have this feeling….that everything is about to change." Her ruby eyes stared at him, a smile growing on her face.

The elder sighed, a smirk growing up one side of his face. He put his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Let us hope so."

Truth be told, Hilary wasn't sure if what she felt was about to happen was for the good, or not. A storm was definitely brewing…and there was no telling who was going to get hurt.

Mr. Dickinson walked off to the arena, leaving Hilary to walk up to the stands and take a seat next to Kenny.

The brunette immediately started searching the crowds for Kai, hoping to catch a glimpse of those remembering eyes that she had witnessed the other day.

Panic began to eat at her when Mr. Dickinson began to speak, and Kai was no where to be found. Did something happen to him! She couldn't doubt it, after watching Voltaire, in all his rage; punch his own grandson to the ground.

Suddenly, she heard a gasp from Kenny.

"What's wrong Chief?"

"Look…" He pointed a shaky finger out into the crowd. "Isn't that…"

"Kai…" She almost breathed a sigh of relief.

The blue haired teen was standing as far away from the other bladers as possible, hiding partially in the shadows.

Hilary was able to make out his piercing red eyes, but something was definitely different about them.

"You will all be divided into groups, and the winner of each of those groups will go on to the next round. If you have no other questions, I will let the tournament commence!" Mr. Dickinson finished his speech, and walked off to the judges table.

Cheers broke out among some of the contestants, and applause rang from the audience.

---

The battles continued well into the afternoon. All the weaker opponents had been quickly done away with; leaving only the very best Japan had to offer.

The tournament was about to wrap up for the day, and the remaining bladers were asked to gather in front of the judges to receive their instructions for tomorrow.

Tyson took a long, hard glance at his competition. Of course, Kai had made it through with ease, but the navy haired blader also was able to pick out the guy that had stolen Max's blade from the docks…along with his friends from the warehouse. His stormy eyes found Kai again, but this time he was greeted with a fierce glare.

The two rivals held their stares, tension billowing around the arena in an almost visible form. Tyson felt his blade glow warm in his pocket, knowing Dragoon was itching to battle the fiery Black Dranzer once again.

Things were about to get personal…_very_ personal.

"_Kai…I **will** defeat you…I will get you back for all the pain you've caused Hilary…you will **pay**!" _The teen's hands curled into fists, shaking lightly with anger.

The older teen huffed, and whirled around to walk out of the stadium. Apparently, the judges had finished with their instructions…and Tyson was too lost in his own thoughts to have paid any attention!

Kenny was shaking in his seat as the contestants walked out of sight. "This tournament is going to heat up very soon!" Even _he_ felt the tension growing between his friend and Kai…and it scared him.

Hilary could only sigh sadly, her gaze falling to her lap. Mr. Dickinson was right…this was one of the hardest things she ever had to watch.

---

The tournament closed for the day, and everyone filed out of the stadium. Hilary and Kenny met Tyson next to Mr. Dickinson at the stadium gate.

"You did awesome, Tyson!" Kenny exclaimed. "That new blade is working out perfectly!"

"All thanks to you Chief!" The teen smiled brightly, flashing Dragoon in the open air.

"You better watch were you show off your blade…_Tyson_…" A snide voice invaded the small group's conversation. "You never know _what _might happen to it."

The navy haired teen growled, snapping his head over his shoulder at the voice. "You…"

It was the blade collector from the docks! He was on his way off the stadium grounds with a small gang from the warehouse.

"Looks like you ruffled his feathers Carlos!" One of the boys snickered.

Mr. Dickinson cleared his throat, alerting the teens to his presence. "Save it for the tournament boys."

The gang frowned; knowing better than to start a fight with a judge there, and continued on their way.

"Uh…let's get home already…" Kenny started, holding his laptop close.

Hilary turned around for a moment, taking one final look at the stadium. She sighed, preparing to turn around, when something caught her eye.

Kai was leaning against the wall of the building, his eyes staring straight at her.

Hilary gave a little gasp and jumped. It was like his gaze had paralyzed her, and she was unable to turn away.

They stared at each other for a moment, before a burning in the brunette's pocket knocked her out of her trance.

"Dranzer…" She reached down and pulled out the tattered blade, its core shining brightly.

Hilary glanced back up at Kai, but something was wrong. He grabbed his head, as if in pain, and started to walk away, his legs stumbling under his weight every so often.

The brunette quickly pocketed the blade and started for her love, but was suddenly stopped.

"Hey Hil!" it was Tyson. "Is everything okay!"

No…everything was **_not_** okay. Dranzer was causing her master pain, but why? Were her dreams actually telling her something, that Black Dranzer was preventing Kai from coming back to her?

"Yeah! I'm coming!" With that, she turned around and rushed after her friends.

---

"_Hilary…wake up already…"_

The familiar voice caused the brunette to squirm in her sleep. She moaned and turned over, burying her face in a soft pillow. _"Five more minutes please…"_ she mumbled.

There was a chuckle. _"You've had your five minutes half an hour ago. Now get up!" _

After a long silence, there was a sigh. _"You're too lazy for your own good…"_

Hilary moaned and rolled back over to face the voice, her ruby eyes slowly opening.

"_There we go. It's about time!"_

She blinked quite a few times, not believing what she was seeing.

A smirk settled between four cobalt triangles. Crimson eyes staring warmly down at her through slate colored bangs. _Kai…_

Now fully awake, she threw her arms around her lover, nearly tackling him to the floor. _"Kai! Is it really you! I can't believe it! I've missed you so much!"_

"_Whoa…calm down…"_ Kai returned her embrace. _"Good morning to you too!"_

"_Are you okay now? What happened to you!" _The barrage of questions didn't stop, causing the older teen's eyebrow to twitch in annoyance. After a while, he tuned her out, and decided on a way to shut her up for a moment.

He leaned over and planted his lips firmly against hers, his plan a success. Once Hilary got over her shock, she returned his affection, wrapping her arms around his neck and bring her body as close to his as possible.

Suddenly, a warm glow erupted from her pocket, causing the couple to part for the time being.

Kai blinked for a moment, staring down at the bright crimson glow. _"What's that?"_

Hilary reached down and retrieved a glowing blue blade, holding it out to show him.

Kai seemed to gasp, recoiling slightly as the object was revealed to him. Hilary only stared at him in confusion. Why did he look so repulsed?

"_Put it away…"_ He snapped, turning to face something on his left but keeping an eye on the blue blade.

"_But Kai…"_

_"Put it **away**!"_

A solemn cry echoed from behind the brunette as graceful flames danced around her feet.

"_Dranzer…"_

Suddenly, the bright room began to grow black, dark clouds swirling in and surrounding the two teens.

Kai hissed at the appearance of the phoenix, arching his back and snarling as if he were an upset cat. _"You again…"_ He then turned his glowing eyes toward Hilary. _"I'll kill you!"_

The black flames began to surround Kai and grew up until they completely engulfed the teen. Hilary had to shield her face from the heat as it came at her in waves. There was a hideous cry of pain, and soon black wings began to emerge from the flames. They surrounded Kai's burning body, causing the heat to disappear.

Hilary looked up as the wings suddenly flung out, sending out a blast of wind that knocked her off her feet. She screamed as she tumbled through the void, and crashed against a soft body.

"_Dranzer…"_ The brunette glanced back at the wings, which were now opening up to reveal Black Dranzer in all her glory.

She let out a battle cry as her glowing eyes caught a glimpse of Hilary and Dranzer, flapping her wings in a display of power.

"_It is true…" _Tears found there way down Hilary's cheeks as she stared at what used to be Kai. _"Just like I thought…"_

The phoenix let out a cry and lowered her head, staring down her black twin. The two beasts were preparing for battle.

Suddenly, Dranzer leapt out from behind Hilary and flew straight for the black phoenix, crimson feathers on fire. She collided with the evil creature, digging her talons into whatever she could.

BlackDranzer roared in pain but quickly retreated into the air, knocking off her attacker. Summoning a blaze of dark fire, she prepared to attack.

Dranzer managed to prove faster, and quickly rammed into her twin, sending both birds crashing to the ground.

Hilary gasped, scrambling over to the both of them. By the time she reached her destination, both BlackDranzer and Dranzer had faded away, leaving only a beaten body behind.

"_Kai!"_

The brunette dropped to her knees next to him, reaching out but hesitant to touch him.

As if sensing her, glazed crimson eyes slowly opened and looked directly at her.

Hilary's breath caught in her throat, rendering her speechless.

Kai looked up at her in a trance, visibly struggling as he tried to speak.

"…_set me free…"_

- - -

Hilary flew upward in her bed, her ruby eyes wide as she gasped for breath.

When she noticed her surroundings, she sighed, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands.

The same nightmare had plagued her for many nights now, but this time it ended a bit different. It almost had closure to it…

She gasped, the scenes replaying over in her head like a broken record. "I know what to do!" With that, she flung herself out of bed and went to get ready for the day.

After showering, she rushed back into her room, and dug through her closet for something to wear. She got dressed, and then searched for her jacket.

"Where did I put that thing…" She glanced around her room, finding the article laying causally on top of a chair in the opposite corner. "Ah ha!"

She jumped onto her bed and rushed to the other side, her feet running across a cord on the floor next to her night stand.

The cord wrapped itself around her ankle, and when she took a step forward, Hilary came crashing down with a fierce scream.

"Dang it!" She growled, fumbling with the cord as she tried to free herself. When she was free, she picked up what the cord was attached to, her alarm clock. Green numbers lit the current time. She gasped. She was late for Tyson's match!

Cursing to herself, she grabbed her jacket, stuffed the battered Dranzer in her pocket and flew out of her room.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Major hints here, eh? I don't know…wait and see. _

_I know this was a chapter that I should have condensed into another, but I didn't want to see it anymore and just wanted to get it up. I know it's just one more chapter to read, but please be patient. Things will heat up soon, I promise!_

_I am very tired, and don't have much time anymore, so I wasn't really able to go over and read this chapter again. I hope there aren't too many mistakes…_

_I also want to mention that I am slowly working on all my other fics…I know I told someone that I would update one of them ASAP, but I got stuck and decided to work on this instead._

_But I don't plan on leaving anything I have started unfinished. Key word…plan…_

_Anyway…the next chapter will hopefully be better! The start of the tournament officially starts!_

_Please review?_


	24. The Only Way

_Hey…_

_I apologize for not updating much of anything of late. I've been having some medical issues, and have either been at the doctor or asleep…so please bear with me here._

_I know I said in the last chapter that I would start the tournament in this chapter…well…I kinda put it off again ' I'm sorry! _

_But I PROMISE there will be beyblading in the next! _

_I want to thank my friend Kimkizna, who helped me with some ideas for this chapter. I ended up cutting it a bit short, but oh well…._

_Oh, and one more thing…I'm currently uploading this at the hospital, so I apologize for any weird statements I make the characters make, grammar, spelling, and any other problems of the like. I'm hyped on medication right now, and I don't think I'm thinking too straight. LOL!_

_Enjoy…if possible…_

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 24: The Only Way**

Crowds cheered as the last round of beybladers made their way back from the stadium. As always, they hadn't failed to impress, with a series of heated matches that had kept everyone on the edge of their seats.

"_That was nothing people…the real battle has yet to come_…" Tyson thought to himself as he looked up at all the cheering families, oblivious to the real battle that would have to be fought in order to win back a soul.

Dragoon's master made his way back to the locker room, where he found Kenny typing away furiously on his laptop next to a large box full of beyblade parts.

"Great battling Tyson!" he paused for a moment to congratulate his friend. "How's the new blade working out for you?"

"Awesome as always, Chief!" Tyson chuckled, tossing Dragoon happily in the air and catching it. "Hey…have you seen Hilary?"

The small teen shook his head sadly. "I haven't seen her all morning. I don't think she's shown up yet…"

"Hmm…I hope she's okay…"

"I'm sure she's fine, Tyson. She's probably just a little late, that's all." Kenny tried to smile.

"Yeah…" He tried to pretend to not be bothered by it. The brunette promised she would watch his match, yet she hadn't shown! Maybe it was just too hard to watch Kai battle as he was…he sighed.

"Tyson! Kenny!" A sudden voice knocked him out of his thoughts.

"Speak of the devil!"

Hilary flew through the locker room door, hair ruffled, jacket hanging off one shoulder, and out of breath. "Sorry….I'm….late….what….did….I….miss?"

She made her way over to the bench where Kenny sat and flopped down, exhausted from her run all the way over to the stadium.

"You look horrible Hilary…did you run all the way here!"

She blinked at the navy haired blader, dumbfounded. Was he serious!

"Stupid question?"

_Nooo….._

"You made it just in time for the semi-finals. They are doing in a little different though. Everyone that is still in the tournament will battle in a free for all, and the last blader standing will be crowned the champion!" Kenny explained.

"Oh!" Hilary seemed to have caught her breath now! "Perfect!"

"What's perfect?" Tyson raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"Tyson! I need your help!" She flew off her seat and attached herself to the front of his jacket. "Please! You _have_ to help me with this!"

"Okay, okay!" Tyson brushed her hands off. "What do you need?"

"I need you to help convince the judges to let me blade in the next match!"

Silence…you could hear a pin drop as both Tyson and Kenny stared at the brunette in complete disbelief.

"**_You…_**" Tyson let out a short laugh. "You can't be serious!"

Hilary frowned, her ruby eyes narrowing at her friend. "Of _course_ I'm serious!"

"You actually think that you could even stand a chance out there!"

"I beat you that one time, remember!"

"You got lucky!"

"I did not!"

"Did to!"

"Would you two stop it?" Kenny interrupted. "There is no way the judges would allow this! You didn't register, and didn't participate in the prelims!"

"I know…but what if we made some kind of deal? Like…I don't know…a challenge or something?" Hilary felt like a little child begging her parents for a puppy.

Tyson sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know Hilary…it'll be dangerous! The bladers out there are the ones that have beaten everyone else so far! They are the best of Japan…"

Suddenly, he felt something against his chest and shoulder, clutching onto his jacket.

"Please, Tyson…I'm begging you…" she sniffed into his shoulder. "Help me save Kai…"

"Hilary…"

Out of all the time he had known her, he had **never** seen her like this…not once.

After a few moments, he sighed, defeated. He pulled her into a quick hug before pulling her away to look her in the eyes. "Alright…I'll talk to the judges…but you **owe** me, okay! You owe me big!"

She let out a soft laugh, rubbing her eyes with the back of her sleeve, and smiled. "Fine, whatever Tyson!"

He sighed again as he headed out of the locker room, muttering to himself. "Stupid girls…"

---

Hilary had waited patiently inside the locker room while Kenny made some minor tweaks to Dragoon while Tyson went to discuss their plan with the judges. Within minutes, she became impatient, and got up to see if she could help argue their case further.

She wandered the halls until she found her way to the upper level of the stadium. She opened the door to the box office high above the bleachers and entered into a heated debate between Tyson and one of the judges.

"Come on! There has to be _something_ you can do! Can't you bend the rules, just a bit!"

"You're not asking me to just bend the rules…you're asking me to break them, and then completely rewrite them! It's completely out of the question!"

"You don't understand!" Tyson started. He looked over to Mr. Dickinson for support. "You know how she feels! Can't you help us out a little here!"

"It is true…what Tyson says…but it would be unfair to all the other contestants if we just let her in!" The elder stated, his expression downtrodden in grief.

"Please…isn't there something that can be done!" Hilary brought herself into the debate. She pulled out the battered Dranzer as she walked over to the judges' table and sat it down in front of the three of them. "This is something I have to do…for the sake of Kai. Something horrible has happened to him, and this is the only way to return him to his senses!"

She felt hot tears beginning to run down her cheeks again. She was prepared to tell them the whole story, in detail if she had to, about everything that had happened to her and Kai. She would even tell them about her dreams, and make herself out to be crazy. She was ready to be laughed at, lectured, whatever…anything but rejected.

"Please…you have to let me help him!"

"Hilary…"

Mr. Dickinson stood from his seat and turned to the two remaining judges. "May I speak with you in private?"

Tyson and Hilary exchanged glances as the judges left the room and disappeared in a back room. After several minutes, they heard elevated voices from behind the walls.

Hilary broke down, sobbing uncontrollably now. Hearing the judges bicker about the issue had shattered the hope she had run all the way there with. She collapsed to her knees, face in her palms and cried like there was no tomorrow.

Tyson went to her immediately, throwing his arms around her in a comforting hug. "Shhh….it's okay Hil…don't cry. It'll work out…"

"It won't Tyson! I was a fool to ever think it would!" She blurted in between sobs. "I've really lost him for good this time! He really did die in Russia!"

"Hilary! Stop it! Do you know what you're saying!"

She continued to sob into his chest, nails squeezing his shoulders in agony. She would lose Kai…when she had gotten so close…he would fall away again, just like in her dreams.

"It'll be okay! Mr. Dickinson's talking to them! He's going to convince them, just you wait and see!" Tyson tried to shake some sense into her, but wasn't doing too good of a job. After a while, he figured it was best just to let her cry it out on her own time. Something told him that these tears had been held back for far too long.

It was a few moments before Hilary's sobs softened, and diminished into small sniffles. Tyson rubbed her back gently, not knowing what more he could do. Seeing Hilary like this only made him want to murder Kai in the beyblade dish…how _dare_ he cause her this much pain? He knew it wasn't his immediate fault, though…but he couldn't admit he was jealous. Hilary still loved Kai unconditionally, no matter what he did to her…

Suddenly, the back door opened, and the judges came back out.

"We've come to a decision…"

Hilary pulled away from Tyson and rubbed her eyes with the back of her sleeve, waiting for the sure-to-be bad news.

"We'll let you participate…"

She let out a long gasp in pure joy, a smile growing wider and wider on her face. She looked back at Tyson, who was also sharing her joy.

"…but only if you can beat the one leading in score…"

The two teens stared at the judge with some confusion. "What do you mean by that!"

"There are currently two different blocks; A and B. Since block B is currently full, you'll have to challenge in block A. The current blader with the highest score in block A is you, Tyson. If she is able to beat you, then she can compete in the final free-for-all…is this alright with you?"

"Yeah!"

"Ooooh THANK YOU!" She threw her arms around her friend and squeezed the life out of the navy haired teen.

"Gah! Hilary! HILARY! Can't….BREATHE!" He hit her softly on the back, trying to get her to loosen the slack.

When she did, it was only to drop the hug completely and run over to Mr. Dickinson, and doing the exactly same thing, nearly tackling him to the floor.

Once the hugs were over with, she bowed politely to the remaining two judges. "Thank you so much! I really appreciate this! I will do my best!"

"Well you better! We're putting our necks way out on this one!"

"The battle will be in one hour. Go get ready, and meet back on the stadium floor."

Both teens nodded, and rushed out the door.

---

It was hard to believe Hilary had been crying her eyes out moments before as she walked with Tyson back to the locker room. Despite the red, puffiness of her eyes and tear-streaked face, she had a growing smile on her lips, and was thanking Tyson non-stop about the sacrifice he was making to allow her to battle in the tournament.

Deep down, she was extremely nervous. The one and only time she had beaten Tyson was complete luck, and they both knew it. But apparently, BioVolt saw something completely different…maybe she had a chance? Nevertheless, Hilary was shaking inside. What if she failed? She wouldn't be able to save Kai! And what would happen to Dranzer! The phoenix wanted her master back as much as Hilary did!

She was only faintly aware of the locker room as they walked into it, and of Tyson's voice telling Kenny their plan had succeeded.

No…she couldn't think like that…those dreams she was having almost every night weren't normal dreams…there was something about them Hilary couldn't put her finger on, but she knew they were telling her something, and she had to try!

"Why do you want to blade so badly now anyway, Hilary?" Tyson started, breaking the girl's thoughs. "Kai'll murder you…"

Her head drooped. She knew this was going to come up.

"I'm the only one who can beat him!"

Tyson seemed offended by that comment.

"You don't understand! Black Dranzer…and…Dranzer's the only one that can destroy it!" She pulled out the battered blade she had kept safe over the months.

"Hilary…that blade will be destroyed the second you launch it…it's so beat up…"

"Heh…" Kenny snorted, his glasses gleaming as he pushed them closer to his hidden eyes. "I **_knew_** this day would come!"

"Huh?" Tyson and Hilary stared at him, eyebrows arched with suspicion.

"I knew Hilary didn't want me to fix that blade, so I made a new one from scratch…just in case, you know…"

"What!" Hilary's eyes went wide in shock.

"I made a new Dranzer!" He dug around the box of spare parts until he found what he was looking for. He pulled it out and held it out to her. "All it needs is a bitchip!"

"Wow…" Hilary could only stare in bewilderment as her eyes traveled over the shiny blue metal of the new beyblade. It looked almost exactly like the original, only more up-to-date, and almost more dangerous. Boy…Kai would really like this one…

"Well…take it already!"

Tyson's statement knocked the brunette out of her daydreams. She reached out and grabbed the sparkling blade, holding it firmly in her hand.

"Alright Dranzer…I hope you don't get mad at me for this…" Taking the roughed up chip from the old blade, she snapped it into place in the new one. It looked slightly odd, and she rubbed it with her sleeve to help it shine…to no effect.

She sighed. _Oh well…_ "Do you want to help me set Kai free, Dranzer?"

The sparkly blade glowed at her words, heating up in her hand with its apparent answer.

Hilary smiled widely. "Alright then. Thank you, Dranzer!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Okay….I've decided to stop here, because I need to sleep before I try and write a battle. '_

_I was going to have a battle here, but I'm too tired…I'll make the next chapter extra long with lots of battles, okay? Heh…_

_I think I kinda made Hilary bipolar…or something…I don't know. Maybe it's a natural reaction in her situation? I apologize if I've butchered any character's personality and made them real OOC…but that should all be fixed by next chapter!_

_Shutting up now….please review!_

_Again, please bear with me and my slow updating._


	25. Winning Back the Lost

_Hello to all my loyal fans!_

_First of all…I want to apologize for the incredibly long wait! I have been busy (yes, the classic excuse in which you need not know all the details) but I will have you know…that I plan on working on this fic and **only** this fic until it is completed! Why? Because there are things coming up soon that will have a greater effect if not forgotten…you will see when you get to them._

_Okay, for this chapter…I searched for quite a while on the internet, TRYING to find the attacks of Black Dranzer and a few other bitbeasts that will be used later in this fic…and found NOTHING! Are there NO decent attack lists on the net?! It was really frustrating, especially when I took out my Beyblade DVDs and found my answers in less time than looking on the internet…but I really didn't want to dig out the DVDs! But oh well!_

_But right when I was about to sit down and cycle through the episodes, Kimkizna went and found me the name of one of the attacks, so thank you!!! It's probably the only one I really used by name anyway, lol! I'm lazy!_

_That's right…_

_Okay! Well, thank you all sooo very much for all the reviews! I am sorry it took so long, but look! I have managed to update with a super long, actiony chapter! Well…I kinda think it's actiony…it has the beyblade battle everyone's been waiting for in it! Though, I hope you aren't disappointed!_

_I typed up most of this chapter a LONG time ago…the thing that I just didn't want to do for some reason was the battle at the very beginning…but I finally sat down and did it…::sigh::_

_On with the chapter!_

_Enjoy if possible…_

_**NOTE:**_

"**_Blah"_** – Text like this is a bitbeast speaking…

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 25 – Winning Back the Lost**

The hour of time that Hilary and Tyson had been allotted to prepare for their battle had quickly passed, and the two teens had readied their blades and walked through the echoing halls into the main stadium. The stands were completely vacant, except for Kenny, who was prepared to record the match faithfully on his laptop and cheer on his friends. But the rest of the spectators were not to show up until tomorrow, for the remainder of the finals.

The three judges that they had met with had set up a small table on the side lines, so they could view the battle comfortably and make sure that Tyson didn't take too much pity on his friend and _let_ her win.

"Are you ready to begin?" They heard Mr. Dickinson's voice from the table.

Tyson glanced over at the brunette, who swallowed a growing lump in her throat.

"Yes!" She nodded firmly. _"At least I hope…"_

With those words, the two parted from each other's side and walked up to the beyblade dish. The atmosphere had gotten a whole lot more serious now, as Tyson took out his blade and launcher, signaling Hilary to follow.

The brunette felt strangely out of place…she had stepped into a world where she didn't belong, but it was too late to go back now. She _had_ to do this…she only hoped she _could_.

"Bladers ready?!" A voice cried out suddenly, in a volume that was excessive for the small number of people in the stadium.

"You _do_ know that I can't and won't go easy on you…"

They had taken their places now…the battle was to begin.

"3…2…1…"

"I don't expect you to!" Hilary smiled brightly at him as she took her spot at the edge of the dish, bringing her launcher to hover over the edge.

"Let it rip!"

The teens yanked the ripcords from their launchers with all the might they could muster, sending their beloved beyblades spinning furiously into the dish.

"Let's go, Dragoon! Make this quick!" The grey blade immediately conjured up a strong gale and charged for Dranzer.

The two blades collided, creating a great shockwave that rocked the stadium and the two bladers on top.

Hilary let out a small scream and held onto her skirt. She definitely hadn't been expecting that.

Dranzer was pushed to the far wall of the stadium, with Dragoon driving away at it unmercifully. The sound of chipping metal filled the air as the phoenix showed to be no match for the dragon.

"Come on Dranzer! What's wrong!?" Hilary called, shaking her fists in a mild tantrum. "I thought you were going to help me out on this!"

"I _told_ you Hil!" Tyson started, in his mocking, yet lecture tone which made the brunette roll her eyes in annoyance. "If you can't handle _this_, there is no **_way_ **you can take Kai!"

She growled, narrowing her ruby eyes at her friend. She knew she wasn't the greatest blader out there, she knew that she hadn't put in all the amount of training everyone else had, but she **_had_** to win this….otherwise Dranzer wouldn't be able to be reunited with her master and defeat her evil twin! That was the only way to get him back!

The cobalt blade began to glow, a hot fire burning around it in a spiral. Dragoon jumped back in a hurry and regrouped its attack.

Dranzer's spin increased and decided it was time to go on the offensive. It charged for Dragoon, which barely had enough time to create a barrier of air to shield itself from the flames.

The two met again, grinding against each other.

"Alright Dragoon! Phantom Hurricane!"

Hilary let out a gasp as the dragon bitbeast quickly conjured up a fierce storm. "Dranzer!"

It was too late. The storm hit her, knocking her off-balance and to the ground. Pain shot through her body at the impact, the energy draining out of her from the attack as she tried to keep Dranzer going.

She felt a tear trickle down her face and fall down between her feet. "I can handle this…this is nothing compared to what Kai is going through! I will take it, and I will win!"

The center of the cobalt blade began to glow faintly, as if the beast inside was wanting to come out. The only problem was…the phoenix's true master wasn't there…and the powerful energy that was used to summon her had been replaced with something she wasn't used to…

"**_What is this…this emotion?! And where is Kai?!"_** Deep in the darkness of the beyblade…confusion swarmed over Dranzer. The passion and rage that usually was channeled to give her strength had been replaced with something completely different, something that Dranzer had thought no one other than her could feel toward someone else…love.

But something else was even more strange…though Kai wasn't close to her, the phoenix sensed a presence almost similar to him…a young girl who would let nothing hold her back from attaining her goal.

"**You sense it too, don't you?"**

"**Don't speak to me dragon! We are enemies here!"** Dranzer growled as the blue dragon appear before her. Both of them were now in a different reality than their handlers, as if time had frozen around them.

"**Stop being so stubborn and listen! There is great evil here!"**

"**Like I don't know that?! That evil happened to once be apart of me!"** The phoenix's eyes narrowed, as if she had just been insulted.

"**Then you must know of the danger she poses to everyone, mostly to your true master. She must be destroyed!"**

"**And how do you think I can accomplish that, with this fool of a child holding me back?!"**

"**Her emotions are more powerful than you think…"**

"**I never lost with Kai…NEVER! She can't even come up with enough power to summon me! Let alone give me enough to actually fight!"**

"**You will be surprised…what the pure human heart has in store for you." **The blue dragon began to fade with the surrounding background as reality came flooding back…

…the battle was still on.

Pushing herself to her feet, Hilary rose with more determination than before. "Let's go, Tyson! Let's finish this already!"

He smirked, "It's about time! I was sure you were gonna give up!"

"_But…why won't Dranzer come out?!_"

Hilary's voice echoed through to Dranzer inside the tiny blade.

"_Just this once….just this ONCE! **PLEASE**! For Kai's sake! Help me beat Tyson, and then we will go on to the next round and face Kai! If we win against Kai…"_

Dranzer suddenly glowed brightly, as if the blade understood her words. **_"We will face Kai?!"_**

"_If we win against him…he may come back to us!"_

The cobalt blade seemed to take on new life as it spun toward Dragoon at a high velocity.

"NO! I **won't** lose this one, Tyson!" Hilary called, her hands balling into fists. She was pouring all her energy into Dranzer, willing the bitbeast to take it and use it to defeat her opponent, wanting to see Kai again, hoping that he would come back.

"I know you won't." His voice was only just a whisper. "So why not get serious, and beat me already!?"

The stadium filled with sounds of the clash of metal as the two blades continually rammed into each other, then distanced themselves, only to slam back together again.

"Dragoon!!" Tyson called, "It's now or never!"

The dragon burst out of the white beyblade, charging for his opponent.

"Dranzer!" With all her hope, with the last of her strength, she called upon the phoenix, willing it to emerge from the cobalt blade.

Finally, with a burst of flame, Dranzer shot forth from the center of the blade, her cry echoing off the walls of the stadium. Flapping her wings, the phoenix let small embers fall to the beydish before charging down at the dragon.

"_YES! Thank you Dranzer! We WILL win this!"_

Tyson gasped in awe as he stared up at the giant creature. He couldn't believe Hilary actually summoned a bitbeast that wasn't hers!

"Dra…Dragoon!" The navy haired teen tried to blurt out a counter attack, but it was too late. Dranzer had tackled his dragon in a swarm of fire and wind, shrouding the arena in a cloud of smoke.

Coughing, Tyson and Hilary fanned the air around them, squinting in desperation trying to see who had won. Time ticked by slowly…and the smoke took forever to clear.

"_Stupid fire…stupid smoke!"_ Hilary mentally cursed Dranzer for creating so much smoke. She was just about to jump down and find out for herself when the judges called it.

"Battle goes to….Hilary!"

The brunette collapsed on the ground. The smoke had cleared to reveal a inanimate Dragoon with a heavily wobbling Dranzer, it's rim spinning across the bottom of the dish a few more times before falling still beside it's opponent.

Tyson and Kenny had burst out into cheers as they ran over to her, clobbering her in hugs and wailing in her ear. But she couldn't hear any of it…

"_I did it….I did it Kai…I'm one step closer now…"_

----------

_The Next Day…_

"Oh God…oh God what was I thinking?!" Hilary peered around the corner of the hallway and stared at the crowds of people in the stands around the central beyblade stadium.

The final day of the tournament had come, and now Tyson, Hilary, along with Kai and a few other unknowns were left to duke it out for the spot in the team to go to the world championship!

"Relax already Hil…you were so excited about this the other day!" Kenny started, handing the brunette a newly polished Dranzer.

"But…"

"Just battle like you did against me, and you should do fine!" Tyson smiled at her, patting her on the shoulder. "Think of all those people watching you as…I don't know…hamburgers or something….mmm…hamburgers…."

"Tyson! You're drooling!" Hilary slapped him away from her, checking to make sure her shirt had been spared from his food fantasy.

"I need food…be right back guys!" With that, he rushed down the hall, heading for the lobby. Unbeknownst to him, his prized beyblade fell loose from his pocket, clattering to the floor behind him as he took off, leaving it in the shadows of the dark hallway.

"Tyson get back here! The battle is about to start!" Kenny tried to call after him, but it was no use.

The brunette sighed. "Well that's _just_ great!" She fell down to the floor, sitting back up against the wall.

It was about five more minutes before footsteps echoed through the hallway once again. Hilary jumped to her feet, ready to let loose a lecture at Tyson.

Before she could open her mouth however, the figure stepped out from the shadows, causing her and Kenny to gasp in fright.

"Ca..Carlos?!"

"Hey there." He smirked at the two. "Hope there are no hard feelings about the past."

Kenny laughed nervously, shaking his hands in front of him. "Oh, of...c..c..course not!"

"I'm glad to hear that." He turned to Hilary, who was still holding a glare at him. "Hey, found this in the hallway…isn't it Tyson's? You'd better give it to him…battle's about to start." He dropped a small object into Hilary's hand and disappeared the way he came.

"Phew…glad _he's_ gone!" Kenny wiped imaginary sweat away from his forehead. "What did he give you?"

Hilary opened her hand and gasped. "It's Dragoon!"

"Back guys!" Tyson appeared from behind them, stuffing down something and swallowing. "Boy…_that_ was good!"

"Tyson! Did you happen to lose something?" Hilary asked, her hands on her hips.

"Huh?" He patted his pockets. "Uh…don't think so, why?"

The brunette showed him his beyblade. "Then tell me why Carlos just gave this to me?!"

He gasped. "Dragoon!" Snatching it up, Tyson rubbed the blade with his thumb and looked it over real quick. "Thank God!"

"You have to be more careful Tyson!"

"You better have me look at it…make sure it's alright!" Kenny started. "I don't trust that Carlos guy!"

"Chief's right, Tyson." Hilary agreed.

"_Bladers! May I have you all to your positions please!"_

"Sorry Chief, no time! I'll be fine! Don't worry!" Tyson ran out to the arena.

Hilary swallowed, clutching Dranzer tightly. Her nervousness had just came flooding back to her.

"Good luck you two!" Kenny called from the hallway as they started out toward the stadium. "Stay safe…"

She couldn't help but feel like everyone was staring down at her…they had a right to…she didn't belong here. Glancing over to her right, she saw a pair of familiar crimson eyes staring straight at her…

"Kai!" Her voice caught in her throat. He was moving straight for her! He was staring at her, almost curiously, and with warm eyes. She decided to look away, chin up, eyes straight forward…like she knew what she was doing, and she was supposed to be here…even though it pained her to do so.

The blue haired teen stopped at the opposite side of the dish from her. Tyson was on her left…and what surprised her most was that Carlos, along with the other guys she saw from the Blade Sharks headquarters where there as well, flanking each side of Kai.

"Well well well…what do we have here?" Carlos started, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What's a _girl_ doing here?!" A boy with blue hair, and a leg of his jeans cut off asked in a snide tone.

"Listen up guys…the audience has already been informed…" the judge started to explain, "Hilary here has passed a special tested set up by the BBA, and will be competing in this final round."

"What for?" It was Kai's voice this time. His eyes had turned back to the evil, hollow glow.

"Uh…"

"That is no one's business but my own."

"Oh, girl's got attitude!" Another one of the boys laughed, amused by her comment.

The judge sighed. "You all know the rules, right?"

All the bladers nodded as they readied their launchers.

"Tyson is mine, got it?"

"Right boss!"

"_Alright! Without further delay, let's get this battle started!"_

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you..." Tyson started. "If you wanted the sacred beast so badly, why didn't you just take it when you stole Dragoon!"

"You really know nothing..." Kai snarled slightly. "In order to take the power of the sacred bitbeasts, one must win them in battle!"

"_3…2…1…"_

"So that's why you challenged me…and that's why you're here now?!"

A sadistic grin came across Kai's face. "Indeed!"

"_Let it rip!!"_

Beyblades flew off launchers from all directions and flooded the stadium as cheers broke out in the crowd. Kai quickly made his way through the stadium, not caring what was in his way. His gang was careful to avoid him, staying on the sides of the dish as he headed toward Dragoon. He was intent on winning the sacred bitbeast!

"_Come on Dranzer…we can do this!"_ Hilary drove the cobalt blade toward the center of the dish along with Tyson's.

"Oh no you don't girly!"

The three Blade Sharks decided it was time to join in, coming down off the walls of the dish and headed straight for Hilary.

"You're outta your league!"

Three separate blades collided with Dranzer, creating a startled scream from Hilary as she felt the power of the force as it tingled down her spine.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the black blade collided with Tyson's Dragoon, creating a shockwave that sent all nearby opponents flying backward.

Hilary heard someone on the other side of the dish curse as their blade flipped over, landing on its top and coming to an instant stop. Luckily, she was able to keep spinning, but so were Carlos and the other boy with him.

"_Well…that's one down…"_

The brunette noticed that the collision had created a gap between her attackers so she decided to head toward Kai. Dranzer seemed to be thinking the same thing, for before she could actually do anything, the blade was already on its way over toward its black twin.

"Come on Dranzer!" The blue beyblade slammed in the black one.

"Ugh!" Kai fell sideways, as if he took a physical blow as the incoming blade rammed into his.

Black Dranzer was pushed up the side of the dish slightly, but came straight back down at Dranzer.

"You'll pay for that!" Kai's eyes gleamed as his black blade began to create a dark aura.

Hilary braced herself as the blade speed toward her, but nothing came. She opened her eyes to see that Dragoon had gotten in between them.

"You'll get her eventually…but not yet Kai…I want a piece of you first!"

"Tyson…"

Dranzer suddenly shot it a random direction, as if she had been given a secret command. Hilary's attention returned immediately to the battle, only to see that Dranzer had met Carlos's blade before it could sneak up on her.

"Heh…maybe you aren't as weak as you look…" He scoffed. "You still can't beat us!"

"We'll see about that!" She clenched her hands into fists, a smirk on her face. "Let's get rid of these losers Dranzer!"

The blue blade light up in agreement, a loud humming sound erupting from it's bearings as its spin increased. It attacked the second blade, pushing it up the side of the wall as quickly as possible.

"No! Fight her dang it!"

The blade tried to push Dranzer back, but it was no use. Instead, he decided to run for it, heading back down the side of the dish. Again, it was futile, for the blue blade was much faster. Dranzer slammed into it, sending it flying into the air and out of the ring, leaving Carlos alone and without any support.

"Heh…lucky shot." The former blade collector was actually beginning to sweat.

"Whatever…"

Carlos turned his blade back on Hilary, but Dranzer had taken control of the situation. No more playing around!

Dranzer slammed into Carlos's blade a few more times, before using the final blow to throw him across the dish.

"Oh no! Watch out Tyson!" Hilary called out just a bit too late.

Dragoon and Black Dranzer had been locked in a fierce battle, circling the walls of the dish…and Carlos's blade was heading straight for them!

"I got it!"

Tyson sent Dragoon out to meet it, but as soon as they collided, the unexpected happened.

A gasp ran throughout the crowd as Tyson stared, horrified, as the scene unfolded.

As the two hit, Dragoon was flipped up into the air, along with the oncoming blade, and was flying through the air….in three separate pieces.

"What?!"

"**_Impossible_**!"

"Oh my gosh! Ladies and gentlemen! It appears as though Tyson's beyblade has **fallen **apart!"

The navy haired teen fell to his knees, picking up the attack ring that had landed near his feet. "Dragoon…."

Carlos let out a long-winded laugh. "I _told_ you to watch out where you showed off your blade!" he snickered, "You never know _what'll_ happen!"

He growled, fingers curling around the piece in a death grip as he got back on his feet. "_You_ did this!" It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

"Carlos!" Kai's voice interrupted, commanding all attention. He was mad…utterly pissed. The corner of his lip twitched upward, revealing a pearly white fang. "You sabotaged him?!"

"Heh…" Carlos threw his shoulders back, obviously pleased with his handy work. "I guess the cat's out of the bag now…pretty good, eh, boss?"

An angry snarl ripped through the air as glowing eyes settled on Carlos. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Carlos took a step back in fright, eyes wide as a fierce and invisible force swarmed around his boss, causing his blue hair to ruffle upward along with his scarf.

Kai's whole body shook with rage, his nails digging into his palms. The same inhuman growl Hilary had become all too familiar with erupted from the back of his throat. "You idiot! You have **_ruined_** my whole plan!"

"Bu…but boss! You…you wanted to win!"

"_**I WANTED THE SACRED BITBEAST!**"_

At Kai's booming voice, a dark flame burst forth from his blade as an equally dark aura formed around his raging body.

Hilary let out a scream as a fierce heat hit her straight on, sending her back from the dish along with everyone close.

"What the hell is happening?!" Tyson's voice called over the growing storm. He had retrieved the scattered pieces of his beyblade and returned to Hilary's side, shielding her from Kai's demonic fury.

All eyes turned to Black Dranzer as a loud whine echoed above the wind. In the blink of an eye, it had collided with Carlos' blade and sent it flying straight back to its master in shards.

Carlos' eyes went wide as the shrapnel hit his body, sending him straight to the ground. "…K…Kai…" he managed to gasp. "Wh…why...?"

The blue haired teen stared at him, his crimson eyes still glowing and his features ruffled and dark. He had that murderous gleam Hilary had seen once before…but this was different…

"Kai! Stop this!" The brunette charged over, brushing past Tyson's attempts to keep her safe.

Dranzer seemed to follow her in the dish, speeding over the distance until in came into contact with its dark twin.

The elder teen glanced over indifferently as the cobalt blade drilled away at his all-powerful one with little effect. Suddenly, he winced, as if the mere sight of his old blade had caused him some pain.

When he looked back over to his prey, he saw Hilary, standing with arms outstretched between them.

"You aren't like this Kai! Stop it now!" She had small tears in the corners of her eyes. "Why? Why did you attack him?! Sure, he cheated, but that's no reason…."

"Stay out of this you fool!" he growled.

The brunette sighed. At least his voice had calmed down a bit.

"Augh…" Kai grabbed at his chest suddenly as the darkness that formed around him died. "What…"

Everyone's attention was focused back on the battle still going on in the dish. A fire had grown so large around Dranzer that it nearly matched that of its black opponent's, and was currently driving it into the wall.

"Annoying fly…what do you think you're doing?!" A growl erupted from the possessed blader as he turned his complete attention to the beydish. He jerked backward as the wave of heat he had personally created was sent back at him at full force, sending his hair up in a ruffle along with his scarf.

He snarled, pulling at the collar of the white fabric. His glowing eyes traveled over to the brunette and narrowed dangerously, the snarl still playing murderously at his lips.

Suddenly, with a quick flick of the wrist, he pulled the scarf from around his neck and tossed it to the side of the arena, letting it flutter down to rest of the polished floor below them.

"Where did someone like _you_ get _that_ beyblade?!"

"Dranzer is _yours_!" Hilary shouted across the enormous dish as the cobalt blade continued to wail away at the black one.

Kai didn't seem amused, if he even managed to hear her. "Enough of this!" He extended his right arm out to his side. "BlackDranzer! Dark Flame Ignite!"

The black fire returned, and spiraled upward providing an armor-like covering for the dark beyblade. It charged, with a new and more violent force Hilary hadn't seen before.

"**_GIVE ME THAT BITBEAST!!_**" His eyes were glowing a blood red, as if blinded by anything beyond their color.

The black blade hit the blue one, dark purplish embers splattering across the dish and mixing with the crimson.

"Ahh!" Hilary was thrown back off her feet by the force. She felt her skin scrap across the bare floor as she almost skidded off the side off the stadium. He had only used this kind of force with a sacred bitbeast like Tyson's…did that mean Dranzer was a sacred bitbeast too?! If that was true…what did that make Black Dranzer?!

"Hilary!!!" Tyson and Kenny called out to her from somewhere. She couldn't tell where, but she could almost feel them lending her their strength.

With a pained groan, she forced herself back on her feet. Her knee ached painfully under her weight, but she dragged it along, back to the edge of the dish were Dranzer faithfully continued to battle without her.

"Come on, Dranzer! Finish this!" Hilary reached out for the phoenix, calling for her with all her might. "_Please, we have to win!"_

The firestorm had reached an all-time high now, as swirls of crimson shot out to mix with the black and purple flame. They began to grow higher and higher out of the small blades, until they finally encircled the whole stadium, locking the two competitors inside.

With a loud screech, Dranzer finally immerged from her blade in a burning glory. She soared high up above the dish, staring down at the battle below before swooping down in a violent charge, slamming into Black Dranzer and chasing it to the opposite side of the dish.

Kai cried out in pain, closing his eyes tightly as if to keep that burning gaze at bay.

"It's too much for his body to take!" Kenny suddenly exclaimed. "He shares a bond with both Dranzer _and_ Black Dranzer! It shouldn't be possible!"

"Kai!" Hilary tried to call the boy to his senses, but she went unnoticed.

The blue haired teen sank to his knees, fingers buried deep in his thick locks.

"Now that Hilary somehow managed to release Dranzer, Kai shouldn't be able to stay in battle much longer!" Kenny continued to tap away furiously at his laptop.

"_Kai…" _Hilary's heart twisted as she watched him writhe in so much pain. She didn't know _this_ would happen… "_Please forgive me…_"

"Dranzer! Fire arrow!"

The phoenix turned into a blaze of fire, and shot straight for the black beyblade. She hit her mark straight on, sending it flying up into the air.

Suddenly, his shoulders lurched forward violently. A hand went to his mouth as he coughed, his whole body shaking with its force.

"Kai!" Hilary fell on her knees as well, panting for air. The battle was over, Black Dranzer was defeated, and Dranzer fell motionless beside it shortly after…it was over!

"Hey, you alight?" Tyson bent down slightly to look at Kai from his position next to Hilary. The blue haired blader didn't look well at all. A small trickle of blood ran down the corner of his mouth and mixed with one of the triangles etched on his cheek, and a matching stain had appeared below him on the floor under his hand.

Slowly, as if sensing the examining glances, he started to look up. Crimson eyes unfocused and cloudy, he gazed across the dish at the two figures staring at him. A throaty croak escaped the back of his throat softly as he began to focus again, this time at one particular individual…his opponent.

His mouth fell open slightly, and his eyes grew wide as saucers. He shook his head, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Kai!"

Her voice caused a shockwave to penetrate his body. It sent him reeling backward, stumbling to his hands and knees. He forced himself to his feet, holding his head again as a familiar piercing shriek overtook his senses deep inside his mind.

"Hey…" Tyson started for the injured teen.

"St…stay away!" He shooed them away quickly, keeping an eye trained on Hilary. "It…it _can't_…"

He staggered down the short stairs of the stadium and headed toward the locker rooms, collapsing against the walls of the hallways as he went, and leaving the crowds speechless.

"Wait…" Hilary rushed to catch up, but her extended arm was caught by the announcer, who lifted it high in the air.

"We have a winner, ladies and gentlemen!" The crowds finally roared with cheers and applause.

Tyson and Hilary only looked at each other in confusion, and then down the darkened hallway where Kai had disappeared. They only hoped that he was still in the building, and that they hadn't lost him once again.

The navy haired teen glanced down at what remained of the battle. Dranzer was more or less in a repairable condition, but its dark twin was totaled completely. Nothing but black fragments lay scattered about. But something caught his eye suddenly. He bent down to pick up a single piece that hadn't broken apart…the bitchip. He scowled at it for a moment, and quickly put it in his pocket before Hilary could see what he was looking at. Black Dranzer's bitchip…was empty.

"Augh!" A scream echoed through the small locker room as a body crashed against the row of metal.

Another crash, and another, then an agonizing scream as the body fell to the floor in pain.

Kai panted, trying to regain his breath with deep, slow intakes of air as he lay on his arms and knees. Blood and sweat poured from his back and neck, yet he wasn't sure why. His head was on fire, his eyes burned, and he couldn't see straight.

Suddenly, a searing, stabbing pain erupted from the back of his shoulders, causing his body to lurch upward. He tried to fight back the pain, but it was unbearable, and another cry escaped from his throat. He knew someone was going to hear him…someone would come and make this all go away…it was just a matter of time!

"_Ek skotous…phos lampsei…" _he let out a strangled cry, "_...where's my light?!"_

His arms gave way to his weight, and he collapsed on the floor, now slick with his blood. With a grunt, he reached over with his right hand and felt around the area that was causing him so much pain. His nails dug through his flesh, thinking he would scratch it out.

He coughed again, heaving blood onto the linoleum in front of him.

"Make it stop…make it stop…" he mumbled to himself, small tears forming in the corners of his eyes. His fingers suddenly came across something hard, yet something soft all the same.

His crimson eyes shot wide open in realization, and the walls echoed with a different kind of scream.

"I'm sorry, but I would like to resign my place." Hilary bowed her head before the row of judges.

"What?!"

"I want to resign! Please give my spot on the team to Tyson! He would have been in there with me if Carlos hadn't cheated and ridged his beyblade!"

"That is true…" The judges looked at it each other, and glanced over their notes a few more times.

"And after all the trouble we went through with you…"

"Are you sure this is what you want young lady?" The other judge smiled kindly at her. "I think I can understand your reasons why you wanted in this particular tournament so badly. You are something special, you know?"

The brunette let out a nervous laugh and blushed. "Yes sir, I am sure."

"Alright then. Tyson Granger will take your spot on the international team in the world championship!" He slapped a stamp of approval on a piece of paperwork, and bid her farewell.

Hilary rushed off in search of Kai, hoping that he was alright. Something wasn't settling right in her gut, especially after what she saw during the tournament. Something desperately wanted out of him, and he was fighting it with everything he had! She **had** to find him!

She had teamed up with Tyson to check all the locker rooms, and had come up empty handed so far. But her search had led her down toward the basement of the stadium complex. A janitor told her that he thought he heard noises coming from down there, but they were "creepy", and he thought they were of a ghost. So Hilary rushed down toward the basement to find another room, similar to the locker rooms upstairs. One of the doors had a smear of something dark on the handle. Kai had coughed into his hands at the end of the battle…and there had been a little blood where he had been near the edge of the dish…was he coughing up blood?!

Hilary opened the door timidly and stepped inside. She gazed around the vacant room as she proceeded.

Random rows of lockers appeared to have been dented in, a bench in between had been broken through the middle. The brunette swallowed nervously as she continued to walk past the damage. It looked as if a team of football players had a fight and took it out on the room!

She turned a corner to a new row of lockers, and suddenly gasped at what she saw. Blood spattered the tiled floors, leading over to a still body.

"Oh my God…" The girl ran over to the haggard figure. "Kai!" She knelt down and grabbed his arm, shaking him.

He was lying on his side, faced away from her. His shirt had been ripped from the back collar, exposes two large and bleeding gashes on his back, and small cuts graced his arms along with the scuff marks he had probably received during the beybattle.

"Kai?!" Hilary pulled him up gently, trying to see what had happened. She decided to lean him back against the lockers. His features showed definite signs of a struggled, and he appeared to have passed out in pain.

She sniffed and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him gently and calling out his name again.

He suddenly moaned, his head falling forward. His eyes opened a fraction of an inch and seemed to stare into nothing.

"Kai! What happened? Tell me what's wrong!"

"…make it stop…" his voice was barely above a whisper. "…make it…" Kai's body went stiff and fell against Hilary.

He had lost consciousness.

----------------------------------

_Okay! The battle is over and done with! I'm sorry I've been putting it off for so long! It was something that you just kinda had to force yourself to write, but didn't really care to…_

_Oh what do you care?! You're just glad I got it up after…God knows how long!_

_But when I was putting this chapter off, I was writing other chapters, so you probably won't be waiting as long for some of the other ones._

_Well…I have to say…this probably won't be the **last** beybattle in the whole fic, but it will be one of them. The remaining battles will be…a little different…you'll see!_

_Ooooo but what's going to happen now? Wait and find out!_

_Before I go, I want to talk about the Greek I used! Yes, I know some Greek ::nervous laugh:: I know how to read it too, I just don't know everything._

_Anyway, the definition! **Ek skotous phos lampsei ** "In darkness, light shall shine"_

_I wanted to use some Greek lines relating to darkness and light in this fic REALLY badly, so I tried to think of a way to make them fit! And yes…I have thought of a way to make it all fit…so just wait 'kay? P_

_  
Did you know the Greeks came up with the word "phoenix" anyway? But I am going to have a lengthy explanation chapter soon, which will tell you all how I plan to tie the Greek in with this. Don't count me out just yet!_

_If it doesn't work, I can always go back at take it out…_

_So yeah!_

_Please review!_

_It's officially past my bedtime now…ugh…need…sleep… Please don't kill me for butchering this! _


	26. Remember

_Hey everyone! I am so so so very sorry about the long wait!  
In case you haven't read Crimson Legend recently…I'll say my excuse again.  
There was a significant death in my family (and a quite many things before that), so it's been even harder to find time to sit down and type out this stuff. Though it has already been a few months, it's not something you just get over. I know some of you think that way, but it's definitely not true. Even for a person like me, where nothing bothers me easily…And there has just been too many things that need immediate attention. _

_Okay, on with the story...I was going to combine three chapters into this one….but I realized it would just be too long " so instead you get this….thing. Nothing special at all…but I will be putting loads of Kai Hilary fluff in the next one!_

_Oh! And I decided to try to do something in honor of someone who has really helped me out. Kimkizna! I told her a LOOOONG time ago I would put her character into this story. I didn't do a really good job here, but she'll pop up later too Hope I didn't butcher it Kim-chan!! And DO pardon my French P_

----------------------------------------------------------------------  
**Chapter 26 – Remember**

Hilary let out a heavy sigh as she plopped down in a chair next to the fluffy hospital bed. A still body had taken residence on top of it, covered with a thin white sheet and hooked up to every machine imaginable. She had been there so long that she had learned to focus on ignoring their constant noises, so now it didn't even bother her to sit there and stare at the exhausted face she had waited months to gaze at once again…the face belonging to the boy who rescued her from BioVolt Abbey…Kai Hiwatari.

It was already well into the evening now two days after the tournament…the brunette had stayed Kai's side ever since the doctors had allowed people into the room, and hadn't dared to leave. In fact, one of the nurses was being exceptionally kind to Hilary, bringing her food and water and not even pestering her to leave when she had to check Kai's vitals and bandages. She had a thick French accent, and was definitely optimistic about everything.

"_Bonjour!! Je m'appelle Kizna!" The nurse had introduced herself to the young brunette while she waited with Tyson and Mr. Dickinson in the waiting room, "I'm a nurse in training and I shall be taking care of Monsieur Hiwatari during his time here!" _

_The teens stared at the young nurse, not sure what to think of her perkiness in the situation they were in at the moment. _

"Now…what's with that sad face?" She proceeded to pull the corners of Hilary's lips upward. "There! A smile! No need to frown here…your boyfriend will be alright!" 

Hilary smiled, remembering that episode in the waiting area. She was glad someone like Kizna was around. It made this gloomy place seem a little brighter…a little more hopeful somehow.

"Bonsoir Mademoiselle Hilary!" Kizna's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Oh! Hi there Kiz!"

"I brought some food for you! You should eat it before it gets cold!" She smiled, her light magenta eyes gleaming brightly.

The brunette nodded as she took the tray into her lap but only picked at the food. How long had it been since Kai last ate?

"You must stop worrying about monsieur Hiwatari and take care of yourself! How would he feel when he wakes up?"

She took a long glance at the figure before turning to the nurse. "Yeah…thanks Kiz."

The two exchanged smiles before Kizna was called out for another patient, leaving Hilary in the quiet gloom surrounding the room.

- - -

"_Hilary…"_ Kai's voice was barely audible over the loud thumping of the helicopter blades. Pain seared through his body as he coughed, his breath coming only in short gasps.

"_Kai! Grab my hand! Come on!"_ Hilary screamed, watching as his fingers began to lose their grip.

Another bullet came from the ground, nearly hitting Hilary in the head.

"_I can't! I'll pull you down!"_

"_I don't care! Just grab my hand! Hurry!"_

The blue haired teen smiled sadly, knowing very well that it was impossible. _"I am sorry…I won't be able to keep my whole promise to you, but at least you can live free…"_ He coughed again as Hilary already started to protest. _"Live a life for me…and never forget…that I love you!"_

With that, Kai's grip was lost completely, and he began to fall through the cold, snowy air.

"_KAAAAIII!!!!"_ Hilary screamed, tears pouring down the sides of her face.

He stared up after her; everything began to move in slow motion. The thumping of the helicopter became silent, even the wind as it whistled past him. Gravity was pulling him faster and faster to oblivion, and all he could do was stare at his love's tear-streaked face as she watched him fall.

He smiled. He knew he would die once his body hit that freezing, icy water, but there was a strange peace that had come over him. He couldn't explain it, but he was…happy. Hilary was safe now, she could live in peace, and Kai….Kai would be in peace too. He had accomplished his mission.

The teen's thoughts were interrupted as something hard hit his back, immediately knocking the wind out of him. All the sound that had disappeared came back instantly with a huge splash, then all fell silent again. He was in a different world now…sinking further and further into the dark waters.

"_I love you…"_

---

Kai's eyes shot open, his body hurling up into a sitting position. He groaned loudly, pain tearing through his torso, and immediately fell back onto a soft pillow.

He blinked up at the ceiling, unable to move. "Where am I?" he breathed. All he could remember was the dark water, but he was in a bright room now, and perfectly dry.

He heard a gasp from somewhere to his right, and forced his head to turn. The teen let out a gasp of his own, not believing his eyes.

"Hil…Hilary?!"

The brunette dropped the bottle of water she had been holding and rushed to his side. The two teens stared in silence at each other for a moment, words failing them. Hilary reached out timidly toward him, almost scared to touch him but desperately wanting the contact.

Kai exhaled roughly and reached for her hand, touching her palm with his fingers before grabbing it soundly. "Hilary!" His eyes met hers once again, as if he still didn't believe that she was in front of him.

"Kai?" Her voice was timid, as if she didn't know what to expect of him. "H..How are you feeling?" She stared into his crimson orbs, now dilated in shock. She called his name again, and ran the back of her hand across his cheek. "Are you alright?" She was trying to contain her excitement that he had finally awakened, but seeing him so startled was starting to concern her.

Kai let out another ragged breath and reached up to embrace the brunette, pulling her down against him in a tight hug. He burrowed his face into her hair, taking in her scent. "Hilary! But…but how?!" He allowed her to pull back somewhat, only to see that she had tears in her eyes. He blinked. "Hil...?"

This time, she threw her arms around him, her lips meeting his in a passionate embrace. "I thought I'd…lost you for good this time!"

"What…what _happened_?!" Kai heaved, the excitement now taking its toll. "How did…" he appeared to just notice all the bandages covering his midsection, not to mention the general soreness throughout his body.

Hilary couldn't help but giggled at his befuddled features and pulled up a seat. "I suppose you just over did it at the tournament, and everyone thinks you might have gotten into a fight with someone in the locker room…" her face had turned serious again as she spoke. "When we brought you here, they decided to go ahead and fix your hand too. It took a couple of hours, but they managed to get the bullet out." Her voice was quiet and sad…something Kai picked up on instantly.

He lifted his left hand and examined the heavy bandages covering everything from the wrist up. Kai arched an eyebrow. "Wait a minute…tournament?! What the hell…."

Hilary's forehead wrinkled. "You must have a little bit of amnesia…"

"Damnit…I don't have amnesia! I should be _dead_! How did I get here?!"

"Calm down Kai…you've been through enough already." A new voice started from the door, capturing both teens' attention.

"Mr. Dickinson…"

The BBA chairman walked in, followed by a doctor. "I'm glad to see you've come to. Don't worry about the details for now; we'll fill you in on what's happened when you are well again."

"It's nice to finally see those bright eyes of yours Mr. Hiwatari. How are you feeling today?" The doctor moved over to the side of the bed and shined a light directly into the teen's eyes.

A soft groan erupted from Kai's throat as he turned away from the light, closing his eyes tightly. Because of that, he didn't feel the need to answer the doctor's question.

The man frowned slightly, proceeding to check the IV bags handing overhead.

"You never answered my question Mr. Hiwatari. How are you feeling today?"

Kai shot a glare up at the doctor.

"Blurry vision? Wooziness? Faintness?"

"And a headache…" He rubbed his temple in frustration. Letting his hand drop, he noticed all the exposed skin of his hand and arm. It was clammy and ghostly pale. What had happened to him?!

"I don't think it will hurt for one more transfusion." He motioned to another nurse as he took an empty bag off its metal hanger and carefully removed the line from Kai's arm.

"Transfusion?"

"Despite all those injuries, you didn't lose _that_ much blood…but your platelet count was so low that we were sure you were going to die from your body not being able repair itself. Any idea where your blood has gone?" The doctor smiled, as if he was making a minor joke of the mystery.

Kai stared at him almost shocked. He almost bled to death, but not from his wounds? How?!

He felt Hilary's hand on top of his fist. He allowed it to relax against the mattress so their fingers could entwine.

_We'll figure it out. Everything will be okay._ The unspoken words between them seemed to calm the moment, and even the drip of the IVs and the beeping of the monitors all faded away into the background.

"Let's leave him to his rest. Do you wish to continue to stay with him?"

Hilary nodded at the doctor as he finished hooking up the new transfusion line and fiddled with the other.

"Get some sleep too, alright?" With that, he left the room with Mr. Dickinson.

Once out of the room, the elder turned to the doctor and sighed. "Do you really think all this is necessary?"

"He needed the transfusion. We couldn't guarantee his body would react the same way." He walked toward an office nearby and allowed Mr. Dickinson inside. "I've never seen anything like this before…" heading for a window, he opened it, took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. "What the hell happened to that kid?!"

"_We_ aren't even sure what happened to him, doctor." The elder sat in a stiff leather chair, resting his chin on his hands.

"You brought him in with basically every muscle in his body torn, his ribs broken, shoulders pulled apart…like something was trying to break out of him. Hell! A _bullet_ had even shattered his hand! That thing had been in there for _months_, and you say he took part in the beyblade championship!?" he took the reclaimed bullet out of his pocket and slid it across the table to Mr. Dickinson. "That thing should have crippled that hand…" He took another puff of this cigarette.

"On top of that…he had just enough blood in him to keep him from looking like a corpse...and every day I go in there, I swear to _**God**_, those wounds are closing up like that kid is some kind of…some kind of…"

"I must ask you to keep this confidential…don't tell him, not even Hilary."

He sighed, crushing his cigarette against the bottom of this desk and tossing it out the window. "Of course…that's what doctors are all about…aren't they?"

----

Within a couple of weeks, Kai was moved to a new wing in the hospital and began an intensive physical therapy regiment. Part of it was designed to re-strengthen his body, and part of it was curiosity among his doctors to see was he was able to do after such serious injuries.

Hilary still refused to leave his side through it all. She would only go home to take a shower and change clothing, but her meals were eaten with Kai and she would even sleep next to his bed as long as the nurses would let her. Kai occasionally ordered her to go home and sleep, for one can only sleep in a hospital for so long, but talking her into leaving was nearly impossible. The girl was almost convinced that if she lost sight of Kai one more time, he would disappear from her life again.

She found herself staring at the muscles of his bare back through a glass window as he pulled a bar connected to an unknown amount of weight with his right hand. All the old scars she had expected to see had mysteriously vanished. He had no need for any bandages anymore; the two gashes around his shoulder blades had closed up quickly, leaving only pink scars in their place. All the other cuts he received had disappeared with barely any traces.

"Alright Mr. Hiwatari. I think that side will be good for a while." A technician announced, examining the muscles on the right side of his back and shoulder. "Think you could do the same with the left? Or is the hand still stiff?"

Without a word Kai grabbed the bar with his left hand and repeated the task, wincing occasionally, but hiding it well.

"Good job today." The tech took the bar from him and wrote a few things down on a clipboard. "Need some ice?"

"I'm fine." Kai found his shirt and threw it back on. He shook his left wrist out, earning a crack to relieve the pressure.

The doctor took the injured hand and began to move the fingers around. "I'm surprised that you've been able to use it at all!"

"Well I'm just full of surprises." He started for the door, hands in pockets.

"Indeed you are…"

"Hey Kai." Hilary was waiting for him as he entered the waiting area. "Feel like getting lunch?"

"Is Tyson here?" He had witnessed the teen's eating habits once before…and once was enough.

"Nope!"

"Sure then."

The two walked over to the food court before heading toward the patio on the roof for some privacy. Kai was now well enough to go pretty much wherever he wanted, as long as he didn't leave the grounds.

Finding a spot in the shade, they sat down to eat.

"I'm going to be released soon…"

"Really? That's great!" Hilary smiled. "Where are you going to stay?"

"Don't know. Where did I stay before?" He took a bite of a sandwich, chewing thoroughly.

Hilary made a face. "We'll figure something else out…you can stay with me!"

Crimson eyes stared at her for a moment, but decided not to ask. "I can't inconvenience you Hilary…look what I've done to you already…"

"Nonsense Kai!" She slapped a palm on the table.

He turned to look elsewhere, an awkward silence following.

"How are you liking Japan?"

"From the views through the windows?"

Hilary giggled quietly, earning a smirk from Kai.

Sudden, his eyes flared and he dropped his glass on the table.

"Kai?!" Hilary got to her feet, staring at him with concern.

"Ugh…" He grabbed his head, leaning over the table as if he was going to be sick. His body began trembling, eyes wide open in shock.

Hilary rushed to his side, thinking he was having some sort of seizure.

"Help! Someone hel…"

"No!" Kai breathed, his free hand clenching into a fist. "Give me…a minute…" He lurched again, frightening Hilary. His movements were almost exact to that day during the tournament. He was fighting something again…and it took everything she had in her not to run downstairs and get a doctor.

After a moment, Kai returned to normal. He rose from his seat like the fit hadn't even bothered him and picked up his tray and glass.

Hilary could only stare, no words were coming to her, but the older teen somehow sensed what she wanted to say.

"I'm alright…let's go."

--------------------------------------------------------------  
_Ok…it's seriously past my bedtime…_

_Once again I apologize, but I am trying to take the time to get caught up on everything. Thank you for your patience thus far!_

_Hopefully this chapter wasn't too awful…….._


	27. Coming Together as a Team

_Hello all! I live!_

_Sorry it's taking me so long to update! I have waay too many things on my plate. Ugh…._

_I managed to write most of this at class today…hurray?_

_It's another transition chapter…and more than likely rushed. But I want to get through all this and get back into the action again lol._

_I'll probably go back into this chapter and make it better later. It's already passed my bedtime for today eheh…_

_Please bear with me guys! I appreciate all your patience thus far!_

--

Chapter 27: Coming Together As a Team

"I said I didn't need anything!"

"But 'zis will help keep your blood count…"

"Screw my blood count. I said I don't need it!" Kai's hands clenched to fists as the nurse Kizna raised a needle and squirted an unknown liquid into the air.

She took hold of his arm with great effort.

"Kai, settle down and just get it over with." Hilary sighed from the sidelines. She earned a death glare in response.

But just as the young nurse was about to stick the needle, she paused and looked at something else on the tray behind her.

"Oh! It's _'zis_ one!" Kizna put the syringe back on the tray and picked up another.

Kai eyed it carefully, his body stiffening. "Why do you have more than one needle anyway?" He pushed away from her once again as she came in for the attack.

"Oh! In case you have a reaction!" She smiled brightly, the needle coming closer.

He shifted uncomfortably, looking toward Hilary for a rescue. The brunette was still in shock that the nurse almost made a mistake.

"Hilary…if she kills me…"

The syringe had been injected and she removed the needle as quickly as it had entered. "Zer we go!" She patted his arm and stood up. "I'll be back soon with the doctor! You may get to go home today!" Taking the tray, she left the room.

After staring at the back of the door for a while, Hilary turned to look at Kai's arm. "Well…no strange growths are coming out of it."

"…not yet."

--

"Finally! Home sweet home!" Hilary spun into the hallway of her house, shortly followed by her boyfriend and Mr. Dickinson.

Kai had finally been discharged from the hospital and, having no where else to go, Hilary asked him to stay with her. Kai didn't seem to like the idea too much, but after some pressuring and suggestions on where he would stay (Tyson's house), he decided to go along with the plan.

Upon taking his shoes off at the entrance, he glanced around his immediate surrounding as if looking for something.

"Kai?"

He had started walking over to the living area, where a large fluffy couch was calling his name. Pushing a pillow out of the way, he collapsed into the cusions.

"He may be out of it for a little while until he can go off these." He handed the brunette a couple bottles of prescriptions. "And makes SURE he takes them! There was an incident at the hospital earlier…"

Hilary could only imagine the fight Kai had put up. "I will Mr. D, thanks for everything….Oh! What about his hand?"

"Oh, he should be able to recover. He'll be back to beyblading in no time!"

The brunette let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Mr. D."

The elder turned to leave, reaching for the handle but paused. "Are you sure about this

Hilary? I can put him anywhere…"

"No. I owe him at least this."

"A lot of people owe that boy things. Don't take it all on yourself."

Hilary nodded as the door closed. "Well I'll be damned if I'm one of those people that won't pay him back."

--

A few hours later, after a couple annoying calls from Tyson's house and a lonely lunch, Hilary decided to see if Kai was awake yet.

Hilary stepped lightly into the dim room, closing the door with her foot. Careful not to make any noise, she treaded over to the sleeping figure in the far corner of the room.

"Kai?" She whispered, testing to see if he was awake.

He tossed and turned a few times, his brow furrowed in almost pain. His pale skin glistened with sweat in the low lighting, body trembling in an unknown struggle.

She called out to him again, placing a gentle hand against his tattooed cheek. His skin was hot…he was on fire.

Suddenly he jerked awake, eyes flashing. Hilary let out a small gasp in surprise.

"Kai! …You okay?"

"A warehouse….which warehouse was I in?"

She stared at his quizzically.

"I had to stay somewhere during this time…it was a warehouse, wasn't it?"

Hilary nodded. "Are you remembering something?"

He swung his legs over the edge of the couch. "Take me to it."

--

Kai kicked open the rotten wooden door, sending dust and debris flying up in the air.

Memories filled Hilary's mind at the scent of that musty odor pouring through the doorway. She shuddered slightly, as if a cold wind had just kicked up.

"This place?" The tone in Kai's voice hinted at disbelief.

"I followed a guy from your gang here and you found me and tied me up. There!" She pointed to the small room looming over them.

He immediately walked in the direction she had pointed, jumping a few feet to the first step and slowly climbing. He came to another portion of the staircase that had been blown away in his first fight with Tyson and simply jumped the gap, causing the whole wall to quiver under the pressure.

Hilary called out in alarm, fearing it would collapse. But Kai went on without a care. She looked about nervously, hoping that she wouldn't see the former members of the Blade Sharks again. She wanted to follow him into that room, but didn't want to end up falling to her death either. With a frustrated sigh, she decided to go sit on one of the many crates against the wall.

Kai walked calmly into the dark room. It hadn't been touched since he was last there. Fragments of rope still draped over the old, ripped couch, blankets graced a group of crates across from it, and a pile of random objects filled a corner next to them.

"I _lived_ here?" He seemed disgusted with himself. Threading over to the cluster of items in the corner, he used his foot to shift through the junk.

A jacket, more blankets, useless beyblades, a knife, a bundle of rope, a small black box and finally a rucksack.

Immediately he claimed the bag and poured out its contents on the crates. Out of all the things inside, an old leather-bound book caught his attention. He grabbed it and started to walk back downstairs.

The squeal of the metal steps knocked Hilary out of her thoughts. Kai jumped gracefully onto the crates above her. "Found it." He waved the book in the wind, almost relieved he had found it.

"What is it?"

"A book."

"Well duh! What kind of book?"

"It doesn't concern you." With that, he leapt to the dusty ground and started walking out. "Let's go back…this place reeks."

--

The brunette let a few minutes past before deciding it was time to pester Kai about the book, but just as she was about to open her mouth, Kai had opened the book and was flipping through the pages. She peered over his arm curiously.

"Hmm…looks like Greek to me."

He chuckled softly. "It looks like Greek to me as well."

"It's not Russian, is it? Doesn't seem so important to me."

"All you need to know is that it has a purpose. That's all. And you're right. It isn't Russian…it's Greek…"

Hilary only glared at him. "Well…whatever." She threw her nose up into the air slightly and sped up her pace in annoyance.

"Uh…Hilary?" Kai looked at the back of her head curiously.

She only ignored him and continued on her way.

Suddenly, he gasped. "Hilary!!"

She opened her eyes with a gasp of her own, looking around for what was causing the panic. All of a sudden she was being pulled backward and landed into Kai's chest just as a car sped to a stop in front of them.

The driver honked loudly, causing the two teens to glare.

"What are you honking at me for?! You were the one that almost hit ME!!" Hilary went into a rage at the darkened windows of the car. Kai thought it best to stay out of the way.

A window rolled down. Kai sighed and drew a hand down his face.

"We've been driving around looking for you!"

"Tyson?!"

The world class annoyance popped his head out of the window with a cheesy grin. "Mr. D sent this car for us! Max and Rei are on their way! Get in!"

The brunette gasped. "Really!?" She squealed in joy as she grabbed her boyfriend and dragged him to the car.

"Uh…Hilary?" Kai was lost. Too many things were happening for him at the moment.

"I'll explain later just get in the car!"

It was getting late in the day. Though they didn't need a clock to tell them, for Tyson had fallen asleep on the way to the airport.

Kai felt a twitch developing in his forehead. "Are you sure he's your friend?"

Hilary nodded cautiously.

"Damn it…"

"You seem to be in the cheery mood, Kai. Feeling better?"

The teen only glared, instantly answering Kenny's question. He wouldn't be bothered with small talk…not with that constant noise coming from the seat next to him.

--

Kai was first out of the car once it pulled up to the airport entrance. He only waited for Hilary to get out before starting for the doors.

"Uh…a little help guys!?" Kenny was trying to pull the dead weight of Tyson out of the back.

Hilary and Kai exchanged looks.

"Do we have to?"

Hilary sighed.

"Fine…" Kai retraced his steps to the car. Reaching in, he effortlessly grabbed the collar of Tyson's shirt and threw him out on the sidewalk.

The contact instantly awakened the teen with a painful groan.

"What the hell! Kaaai!" He growled as he looked up at his new teammate.

"I suggest you start acting your age…_world champion_…"

He gave Hilary a can-we-get-this-over-with-already look. Kai was anxious about something, but the brunette couldn't put her finger on it.

"Lets get going! Their flights should have landed by now!" Kenny rushed ahead of everyone, disappearing past the sliding doors and into the crowd.

"Hey! Wait up!" Tyson scrambled to his feet and followed, Hilary and Kai tagging along behind.

--

Max was already picking up his baggage by the time Tyson and the others got to the claims area. Tyson made sure to make a scene as he spotted the blonde and nearly tackled his way through a crowd to get over and hug the American.

Taking advantage of the others' distraction, Hilary pulled Kai aside.

"We need to talk."

"About?"

"Are you sure you're alright?" Hilary pressed her palm to his forehead. "You seem…anxious or something."

He sighed. "Hilary…I am fine." He grabbed her wrist and brought it down in front of them. "You have to stop worrying about me."

"How can I? After everything that's happened…"

She felt his lips against her forehead. "Everything will be alright…just give it time to heal."

Sniffing back some tears, she nodded.

"Thirsty?"

Hilary only smiled meekly.

"I'll go get us something to drink then." He walked off to a nearby vending machine, digging in his pockets for change.

"There he is! Rei!!" Max threw his arms up in the air; wildly swinging them back in forth in an effort to flag down their Chinese teammate.

"Hey guys! Long time no see!"

"I heard you devastated the Chinese tournament!"

"Oh, no sweat!" Rei beamed. "It was nothing like what I heard happened here!"

"You heard it too!? Word gets around fast!"

Suddenly, something caught Rei's eye. "What is _he_ doing here?!" He snarled, his golden eyes narrowing at the blue haired teen as he walked toward Hilary.

"Oh you should have seen it!" Tyson began to describe the epic battle between him, Hilary and Kai's gang, but the older teen tuned him out. Even from this distance he could sense something was still wrong with that guy…an evil buried deep below the surface.

"And BOOM! Hilary was thrown back but she kept fighting!"

That was it. Rei charged over toward the couple.

"Ugh!" Hilary grimaced as she tried to open her bottle. "Stupid thing…"

"Here…" Kai took the bottle and twisted the cap off effortlessly.

"I loosened it up for you…"

He smiled down at her. "Sure you did."

Just as the bottle passed back into Hilary's hand, an angry hand grabbed his shoulder and flipped him around.

"You have a lot of guts showing your face around here, especially after what you've done!" Rei now had his fist attached to Kai's scarf.

"Rei! Stop! It's not what you…"

"Do I know you?" Crimson eyes glared at amber. Suddenly, he slapped the Chinese teen's hand away from him, inciting a violent snarl from the usually calm and collected blader.

Rei watched his cool glare flash with a fierce fire, almost as a warning.

Kai turned toward Hilary, keeping an eye trained on Rei. He slid his left hand gently behind the small of the brunette's back, giving her a small push. "Are we done here?"

"_How dare you touch her_!"

Rei pounced, grabbing a fistful of clothing and pushing Kai to the side, causing him to lose his footing.

With a growl, Kai grabbed Rei's arm and brought him down with him. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"I can say the same for you! Acting as nothing ever happened! Hilary should never forgive you!" The raven haired teen had gotten on top of Kai, pinning him down with a knee to the stomach and forearm.

"Stop it you two!" Hilary screamed. The small fight was starting to become quite a sight as other travelers began to stop and stare.

"Rei! Calm down already man! It's not what you think!" The others had rushed over to try to break up the fight.

"Kai's alright now!" Tyson started. "He's on our side!"

The fight had rolled over to the waiting area of an outgoing flight to Australia, people quickly jumping out of their chairs with frightened screams to get out of the way of the two teens. Rei couldn't hear his teammates over the commotion, even with his incredible hearing.

"_This one has some skill…_"Kai growled, fed up with playing nice. He brought his knee up to his opponent's stomach, allowing him a few inches to get out from under the teen and wrap his forearm around his throat.

Rei let out a strangled gasp, and clawed at his captor's arm.

Using his left arm, Kai bent it so the metal point of his arm guard pressed against the tanned flesh of Rei's exposed neck.

The captured teen froze, feeling the cold metal under his jaw.

"Now, listen and listen good…you have a very wrong impression of who I am, and I _really_ don't appreciate being attacked for no reason!"

"You left her in _pieces_…and then tore her up some more when you decided to come back from the dead!" Rei spat his words out with a hatred he didn't even know he had. Hilary had changed when she came back to them…they all loved her like a sister, and would do anything for her.

Kai went rigid, remembering the sadness that had been so vivid when he awoke with no memory of anything that had happened. He glared at the raven haired teen in front of him. "I know…"

"Kai! Let him go!" Hilary's voice suddenly screeched as she pushed past the congregation surrounding them.

Suddenly, the cold glaze that covered the blue haired teen's eyes disappeared, and he stood up. Rei fell backward in the spot where Kai used to be, and let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you alright!?" Max was the next to appear, helping pull Rei back on his feet.

His blood was still hot, but he only glared at Kai with a toothy snarl.

"Tyson didn't tell you on the phone, did he Rei?" Hilary started, as Kai toyed with the collar of his scarf.

"Tell me what?"

She sighed. "It looks like we have a lot of explaining to do…"

: : :

The car ride back to Tyson's dojo was an awkward one. Rei had been "officially" filled in, but he still didn't completely trust his new _captain_.

His eyes traveled over to Hilary, sitting directly in front of him in Mr. Dickinson's stylish limo. She seemed happy now, happier than he had ever seen her…so this _had_ to be a good thing, right?

As the car pulled up to the dojo, they all filed out of the car and headed toward the main house, Tyson and Max chatting endlessly about everything they had missed.

"Hey, Kon…"

Rei looked up and over his shoulder, looking for the voice that had called him. Kai was leaning against the opening to the dojo.

"I _am_ sorry for whatever happened back before this last tournament." He closed his eyes, exhaling heavily. "I know of the pain I have caused."

"I should apologize to you, too…for getting so worked up at the airport." Rei smirked slightly at the older teen. "It really wasn't like me…but I understand now…it's alright."

"Hnn…" Kai kicked off his resting place and walked past the Chinese blader, stepping up onto the porch and following the others inside.

Rei sighed. "I guess this is something we're going to have to get used to…"

--

The hours dragged on through the night as everyone filled each other in on what had happened the last few months. Max and Rei took hours, each explaining how they had won their national tournaments.

Eventually the conversation settled around Kai and Hilary, with Hilary doing most of the storytelling. She felt she could finally speak about how she met Kai and the adventures they had back in Russia, even though those adventures weren't wanted in the first place.

Kai's gaze drifted over to her every so often. Even though she was smiling and laughing, she was hiding her pain. Pain _he _had caused.

So the night slowly turned to early morning. The newly formed team decided to have a beyblading match between them.

"Where are you going Kai?" Tyson hollered over to the older teen as he was trying to sneak out of the room.

"It's late." That seemed to be enough. Soon the sounds of competition filled the house, growing more and more distant and faint as Kai stepped into the cold air.

Hilary had disappeared. Kai assumed she went home, so he decided to follow.

Making his way down the street and over the next couple of blocks, he spotted her house at the corner. A light had been switched on upstairs. It wasn't like her to leave without saying anything…especially to leave _him_ with _her_ friends.

He proceeded into the house and headed for her room.

Hilary was only faintly aware of the front door opening and closing. She curled her legs up to her chest and hugged them close. She knew it was Kai, but couldn't find herself to move.

A soft knock at the door caused her to gasp. He moved fast.

"Hilary? Is everything okay?"

"Kai…" she sniffed as she got off her bed and treaded over to the door.

Opening it, she found Kai standing patiently, concerned eyes peering down on her. The brunette's lower lip quivered as she launched herself into his arms, nails digging into the loose fabric of his shirt.

She couldn't hold her tears any longer as Kai's strong arms pulled her close. His hand rubbed her back while he tried to soothe her. "I've caused you a lot of pain, haven't I?"

Hilary's head shook from side to side, her face still buried in his chest. "It's **his** fault…I wish…I wish he would have died!" she sniffed again, looking up at her boyfriend's fierce gaze. "I wish we could have killed him!"

Kai's eyes widened at her words. He never heard her say anything like that before, and he wasn't sure he liked it either, even if he completely agreed. "Don't say that…I never want to hear you speak like that again! He's getting to you…don't let him."

The girl sniffed back another sob, looking away from Kai's angry eyes.

"He won't be defeated easily, but we can do it."

She nodded, smiling into his chest. "You're right…Kai…"

"It's late…you should get some sleep." He pulled away slightly, preparing to go back to the guest room, but Hilary grabbed his arm.

"…stay with me…" she latched herself to his arm like a frightened child, scared that he would disappear again if she let go.

Kai smirked. "Of course." He completely understood. They had spent too much time apart. He bent over slightly, scooping the brunette in his arms and carried her over to her bed. Laying her down, he crawled in next to her and pulled the covers up.

Hilary rested her head over his heart, listening to its calm and steady pulse.

"This is real…"

"I would hope so…" Kai kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms securely around her. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

**--**

_Okay…………..don't have much to say other than what I've already said._

_I'm definitely in a rush….oh well. I'll get back into the hang of it hopefully!_

_Until next time…_


	28. Enemy's Plan of Action

_OMG Hey everyone!! I live! Yes it's true lol_

_I am really sorry it's taken me so long to get back into fanfics…I just haven't had any time whatsoever! But I really have a goal to finish this story soon! …not to mention all the others…oh god ugh…_

_I know it's been a long time since my last update and I'm sure you've all forgotten what exactly is going on with this story. To be honest…I probably have too lol. _

_But this chapter might help a little bit…it's basically summing up what's happened and why it has happened and ties some things together._

_It's probably still a little botchy and hard to understand but I hope that I'll be able to make everything clear as the story goes along._

_Once again I am soooo sorry ! I will try my best to update as I can!_

--

**Chapter 28 The Enemy's Plan of Action**

The morning came all too quickly as Hilary's ruby eyes parted. She was instantly greeted by bright crimson orbs belonging only to Kai.

Shocked at first, it took her a moment to remember that he was really back. She smiled and quickly kissed him. "Morning!"

"Indeed it is," he replied, a sloppy smirk growing on his face. "It's about time you woke up…"

"Huh?" she stared at him stupidly for a moment. "Wait a minute…did you even sleep?!" She suddenly noticed his eyes were drooping slightly, and the skin under them seemed a bit darker than usual.

"Heh…"

Hilary frowned. "I'm surprised you stayed with me then…I thought you might leave."

"Well…that was pretty much impossible…" he lifted up the sheets that were covering them to reveal his body: pinned by Hilary's. Her legs had tangled with his, her fingers clutched tightly to the fabric of his shirt.

He was going nowhere without her knowing it!

Hilary blushed madly as she let out a nervous laugh and untangled herself, allowing Kai to finally move.

The older teen was instantly on his feet, stretching his legs with a soft moan.

"So…what are we going to do today?" Hilary asked, watching as Kai sat back down next to her.

"You tell me."

"Well…" as if on cue, the phone rang.

"It's been ringing all morning."

Glancing at the clock, the brunette cursed and hit Kai as hard as she could with a pillow. It was _**way**_ past noon!

Running down the stairs, she slid into the kitchen and grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

Kai chuckled to himself as he walked down the hall to the bathroom. After several minutes he re-emerged showered and dressed for the day.

Walking downstairs, he found Hilary still on the phone.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I'll make sure he comes…okay…bye!" she hung up the phone.

"Everything alright?" Kai's voice seemed to startle her.

He leaned up against the door, waiting for an answer.

"Mr. D wants us both to go down to his office. He wants to discuss some stuff."

Kai nodded silently.

Hilary sighed, walking over to him and gently took his left wrist in her hands. "You really suck at this Kai…" she began fixing the loose bandages, tying them neatly and securely around his wrist.

Kai sighed. "Just go get ready."

She giggled as she raced back up the stairs, leaving Kai alone in the kitchen.

Sighing again, he collapsed in one of the chairs. He rubbed his eyes, apparently exhausted. A warm glow illuminated from his pant's pocket, alerting him to a familiar presence.

"I know Dranzer…I know…"

--

Hilary and Kai were the last to Mr. Dickinson's office. The other members of the Bladebreakers were already seated in plush chairs around a large conference table.

"'Bout time you got here..." Tyson mumbled.

Max only snickered to himself. Rei had his eyes trained on Kai from the moment he walked in until he took a seat at the end of the table, opposite Mr. Dickinson. The older teen looked slightly drained compared to when he first met him. Something was still wrong...

"I'm glad you could finally come and join us this afternoon Kai...Hilary." The BBA manager nodded in their direction. "This meeting is somewhat overdue, as I know all of you have your questions about what transpired at the tournament..."

"You bet!" Tyson slammed a fist on the table.

"Tyson! Let him finish!" Hilary snapped from across the table.

Kai narrowed his eyes at the old man. "You want me to explain...don't you." It was a statement rather than a question.

"I know you don't have any recollection of what happened...but I was hoping you could give us some insight leading up to before you arrived in Japan."

Kai sighed. He knew this was going to happen but still found himself unprepared to account for the past. He wasn't even sure where to start!

"Well...BioVolt is a research corporation run by a man named Boris Balkov...and owned by my grandfather." He knew Mr. Dickinson already knew all this, but it was a good enough place to start. "Several operations run at the same time, the headquarters being Balkov Abbey in Moscow. At the time Hilary was taken, their mission was to seek out the legendary bitbeasts. They had sent out bladers all over the world to gather intel on locations and who may possibly possess one of the beasts. Boris knew there were four total, and I was the only one they knew for sure of." He reached into his pocket and took out his beyblade, laying it on the table in front of him. "They were able to use Dranzer to figure out how to track the others."

"What about this…Black Dranzer?" Rei asked. "Where did it come from?"

"Black Dranzer is a synthetic bitbeast, created from the negative energy of Dranzer. She is the only bitbeast to successfully thrive after being created this way. But unlike the sacred bitbeasts, which are the four gods of the North, South, East and West…Black Dranzer was designed to fit in more with the Greek gods."

"Greek mythology?!" Kenny exclaimed, his laptop nearly falling off his lap.

Kai only nodded. "In order to create Black Dranzer, BioVolt had to contract some outside help. They brought in scientists from all over the world, but in order to keep the beast alive, they had to give it a purpose…"

"Let me guess…world domination?" Tyson let out an exhausted sigh, rolling his eyes.

"Erebus…the primordial god of darkness...the offspring of Chaos…bringer of disorder." Kai's eyes flashed suddenly at the name. "Black Dranzer was created to fill in for Erebus, so to speak, and to help BioVolt destroy their enemies, accomplish their goals…" he paused to let out a sigh, "yeah…world domination."

He picked his beyblade up and rotated it with his fingers. "You see...just one of the sacred bitbeasts was fairly useless to them. What good is something that has convictions? By splitting Dranzer's personality in half they were able to come up with something that could defeat the others with no remorse. The legendary bitbeasts won't go to war against each other...there is no reason."

"But what about the other bitbeasts at BioVolt? Like the one Tala has." Hilary asked.

"The Demolition Boys' bitbeasts were created in the labs as well, but they were products of the life force in several animals. Wolborg was created after siphoning the life out of countless wolves and then materialized using some of Tala's own soul.

She was almost sorry she asked.

"Do you have any idea what Boris is planning?" Mr. Dickinson cut in. "Why did he want all four bitbeasts?"

"He wants to collect them so he can use their power to materialize other beasts in the physical world. This way, he can control any thing he wishes, and eventually he'll release an army to control the world!" Kai started. "Since the owners of the sacred beasts must be defeated in order for their power to transfer, he plans on using the world championship to get what he wants." he continued, his hands curling into tight fists. "He's going to use the Demolition Boys to defeat everyone, and then steal their bitbeasts right out of their beyblades!"

"So that's why you flipped out when Carlos rigged my blade so I would lose…"

"…I suppose so…"

"But how does he expect to materialize a bitbeast?! It's impossible!" Kenny exclaimed. "Only people who believe in them can see them!"

"No, it is very much possible." Kai's tone changed immediately, as if reliving a painful memory. "He can materialize a bitbeast in this world and believe me…_everyone_ can see it."

"But how?!" The computer nerd was about to go insane. The task was impossible according to all his statistics.

"He's already tried, and succeeded. I've seen it myself...right before Hilary was taken to the Abbey." Kai looked away, anger and hatred clouding his features. "He somehow fused the bitbeast with the master! And at his command, that bitbeast will awaken and take over its host...all thanks to me..." He stared into the center of his beyblade.

That statement caused a look of fear and disgust to run through the team.

"They used Dranzer as a guinea pig...took her power to make sure it could work on a larger scale if they only had more of it...and I was powerless to stop them."

"Don't beat yourself up...they could have..." Hilary placed a comforting hand on Kai's arm but only got a glare in response.

"I had hoped that wasn't the case..."

All eyes turned to Mr. Dickinson, who was resting his forehead in his palms.

"You mean you've _known_ about this!?" Tyson exclaimed.

"I had a hunch Tyson." The elder started. "This has been going on for many years...that's why I decided to form a team...the BladeBreakers. A team with the best players from around the world...each with own special talents that will help destroy BioVolt and the Demolition Boys. And something very unexpected happened...the team that I formed ended up being the guardians of the sacred beasts! No doubt Boris will be furious when he finds that out..."

"That's why I was sent here...to find and collect Dragoon..." Kai said, his glance shifting toward his lap. "This was the mission I was preparing for before Hilary came..."

"You knew about Dragoon?!" Tyson seemed furious and excited at the same time.

"Yes, Boris was able to pinpoint one of the bitbeasts to Japan. I was the perfect candidate for it...Russian-born Japanese. All that was needed was for me to learn it well enough to speak without an accent...no suspicion that way."

"Why was _I_ taken there, Kai?" The question seemed to startle everyone. Hilary had never asked it, and to be honest everyone was sure she didn't want to know. But now the curiosity was eating at her. She had to know the whole truth.

"…You were going to be the host for Black Dranzer…" The blue haired teen sighed heavily, as if the words caused great agony in themselves. "But thank God you weren't one hundred percent compatible."

She looked away sadly, not because she was worthless in that matter, but because Kai had suffered because of her. What would have happened if it had been the other way around? What would it be like to have such a beast controlling you…the thought scared her.

She remembered how easily she fell victim to that blade when they forced her to launch it…if only she had been stronger to destroy it then…

"Tell me Kai...does your grandfather know about the bitbeasts?"

The teen shifted slightly in discomfort. "He only knows about Tyson's Dragoon..."

"Alright...then we still have the surprise on our side."

"Wait a minute Mr. D...I still don't see what part we play in this, except for the whole bitbeast thing..." Tyson started, scratching his head.

"Like it or not…you kids are chosen by your bitbeasts. They see something in you that you might not see in yourselves, and that is the reason why you are together now." Mr. Dickinson started. "Each of you brings a unique aspect to play, and if you all pull together, those special powers will awaken, and you can defeat BioVolt!"

Rei spoke up. "But we still need a captain..."

All eyes turned to Kai.

"Are we going to make this official?" The Chinese blader gave a slight smirk.

"Heh..." Kai smirked himself. "I guess there is no other choice. I think I can deal with you guys until this is all over."

"Well then...I have some paper work to do. Please, be careful from now on! Things are about to get hectic..."

"Will do, Mr. D! Don't worry about us!" Tyson gave the elder a thumb's up and the team got to their feet and started to leave the office.

Kai held the door open for Hilary as she passed under him, making sure he was the last one out of the room.

"Oh, Kai?"

The new captain glanced over his shoulder at the elder.

"Can I ask you one more question?"

"Go ahead..."

"You said you saw Boris fuse a blader with his bitbeast successfully...who was the blader?"

Kai's eyes narrowed into slits and he quickly turned away, his body quivering in rage.

"It...it was Tala..."

-- --

_I feel so out of practice lol. I hope this was decent though…I promise the action will start up soon again!_


End file.
